Grade I Listed Buildings in Somerset - Taunton Deane

Taunton Deane

Taunton Deane has borough status. The district of Taunton Deane covers a population of approximately 100,000 in an area of 462 square kilometres (178 sq mi). It is centered on the town of Taunton, where around 60,000 of the population live and the council are based, and includes surrounding suburbs and villages.

There are 38 Grade I listed buildings in Taunton Deane. The oldest buildings are churches built before the end of the 12th century, and the Castle Bow, which has been incorporated into the Castle Hotel in Taunton but was originally a gateway into Taunton Castle. The castle was created between 1107 and 1129, when William Giffard, the Chancellor of King Henry I, fortified the bishop's hall. It was his successor, Henry of Blois, who transformed the manor-house into a castle in 1138, during the Civil War that raged during the reign of his brother, King Stephen. Taunton is also the site of Gray's Alsmhouses, which dates from 1635, and two buildings in Fore Street from the 16th century. Many of the more recent structures in the list are manor houses such as Cothay Manor and Greenham Barton which were built in Stawley in the 15th century. Poundisford Park and Cothelstone Manor were both built in the 16th century and Hatch Court in 1755.

The most recent building included in the list is in the Quantock Hills. The original 16th century Hestercombe House, was rebuilt in 1909. In addition to being a listed building the estate is designated Grade I on the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England. The house was used as the headquarters of the British 8th Corps in the Second World War, and has been owned by Somerset County Council since 1951. It is used as an administrative centre and is the current base for the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service.