Thought to have been completed in 1560, Barrington Court has led a chequered history. Having housed some very wealthy members of society, by the time the National Trust acquired the property, the only inhabitants were chickens.

A historic site

© National Trust / Helen Appleyard

The manor house that stands at Barrington Court is believed to have been completed by 1560, although there is evidence that this was by no means the first house to stand in its place - in fact the site was recorded in the Domesday Book.

The architecture of wealth

© National Trust / Barrington Court

Built from locally quarried Ham Stone, the architecture of the house is a mix of different styles. Built as an elaborate display of wealth and showmanship, the result is a blend of English Gothic and Continental Renaissance, which served no purpose other than to reflect the owner's wealth and taste.

Completion

© National Trust / Barrington Court

The house was built over a period of 22 years, and by two owners. Building commenced in around 1538 by the newly promoted Earl of Bridgwater, to reflect his new-found status. However, by the time the Earl died in 1548, he had fallen from grace and left bankrupt. The next owner, William Clifton, continued to oversee the building works, and the house was finally finished just over two decades later.

Who lives in a place like this?

© National Trust / Barrington Court

The next owners, the Strodes, were in no way complacent, and many etched their history into the Court, from a decorative overmantel to celebrate a wedding, to constructing an enormous and elaborate stable block.

Once the Strode family left Barrington Court in 1745, the property was passed through many hands. Unfortunately, there is no record of the families that called the house their home. We may never know about life in the house during these years, but what we do know is that by the start of the 20th century, Barrington Court was little more than a cattle barn.