Leigh House
| Leigh House | |
|---|---|
 Entrance to Leigh House | |
| Location | Winsham, Somerset, England |
| Built | 1617 |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Official name | Leigh House |
| Designated | 4 February 1958 |
| Reference no. | 262244[1] |
  Location of Leigh House in Somerset | |
Leigh House is 16th- or 17th-century house in Winsham, Somerset, England. It is a Grade II* listed building.[1][2]
The site was previously part of the Forde Abbey estate until the dissolution of the monasteries,[3] and then bought by the Henley family who built the house at some point between 1590 and 1617.[1][4] Henry Henley (1612–1696) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1653 and 1681. He supported the Parliamentary cause in the English Civil War.[5] In 1759 the house was let to Robert Hanning.[3]
It is made of local lias stone with Hamstone dressings.[1] It is "E" shaped with the five-bay east elevation of two storeys with attics above them. The north and south sides are of six bays.[2] The main room on the ground floor is the Great Hall which, along with other rooms, still contains original large fireplaces.[3]
The house was modified in 1893,[1] and then sold by the descendants of the Henley family in 1919. Subsequent owners included the local MP George Davies.[3] After his death many of the furnishings of the house were sold at auction.[6] The house has since been divided into four residences.[2]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Leigh House". Images of England. English Heritage. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
- ^ a b c "Leigh House". National Heritage List for England. Historic England. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
- ^ a b c d "Leigh House". Winsham Web Museum. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
- ^ "Leigh House". Somerset Historic Environment Record. Somerset County Council. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
- ^ "HENLEY, Henry (c.1612-96), of Leigh, Winsham, Som. and Colway, Lyme Regis, Dorset". History of Parliament. The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
- ^ "Sale particulars of furnishings of Leigh House, [Winsham] (Sir George Davies, CVO)". National Archives. Retrieved 25 September 2016.