| Halswell House | |
|---|---|
|
Location within Somerset
|
|
| General information | |
| Town or city | Goathurst |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | |
| Construction started | 1689 |
Halswell House is a country house in Goathurst, Somerset, England.
The Tudor [1] house was originally purchased by the Tynte family, which was united with the Kemeys family of Cefn Mably when Jane Kemeys married the Rev. John Tynte (d. 1710), 2nd baronet of Halswell, and rector of Goathurst. The couple were succeeded in turn by their three sons: Halsewell Tynte (1705–30), 3rd baronet, of Halswell and Cefnmabli, whose two daughters died young, the Rev. John Tynte (1707–40, died unmarried), 4th baronet and rector of Goathurst, and Charles Kemeys Tynte (1710–85, dsp.), 5th baronet. Cefn Mably remained in the hands of the Kemeys Tynte family until 1923. [1]
Halswell Park was developed between 1745 and 1785 as a setting for Halswell House. The 17-acre (69,000 m2) pleasure garden was created by Sir Charles Kemeys Tynte, with the transformation of the landscape on a grand scale to rank in scope and importance with some of the finest landscape gardens in Europe.
The grounds contain many fanciful buildings, fish ponds, cascades and bridges,[2] including the Temple of Harmony which stands in Mill Wood. Completed in 1767, it is Grade II listed [3] and has been fully restored. It is open to the public on Sundays from May until September. [2]
The contents of the house were sold in 1948, and the house itself in 1950 when the rest of the estate was auctioned off. Part of the house was converted into flats.
The Halswell Park Trust was established with the aim of acquiring the buildings and surrounding land of Halswell Park, restoring them and opening them to the public. In 1998, the Somerset Buildings Preservation Trust restored Robin Hood's Hut (Grade II),[4] which commands views over Somerset, the Bristol Channel and South Wales. Robin Hood's Hut is now owned by the Landmark Trust, who let the building on short holiday leases.
Halswell House is now a Grade I listed building.[5]