Cricket St Thomas

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Cricket St Thomas
Church of St Thomas, Cricket St Thomas (geograph 5413173).jpg
Church of St Thomas, Cricket St Thomas
Somerset UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Cricket St Thomas
Location within Somerset
Population50 (2011) [1]
OS grid reference ST375084
Civil parish
  • Cricket St Thomas
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town CHARD
Postcode district TA20
Dialling code 01460
Police Avon and Somerset
Fire Devon and Somerset
Ambulance South Western
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Somerset
50°52′19″N2°53′42″W / 50.872°N 2.895°W / 50.872; -2.895

Cricket St Thomas is a parish in Somerset, England, situated in a valley between Chard and Crewkerne and was formerly within the South Somerset administrative district. The A30 road passes nearby. The parish has a population of 50. [1] It is noted for the historic manor house known as Cricket House, and its estate in recent times formerly home to a wildlife park.

Contents

Etymology

The name Cricket St Thomas is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word "cruc", meaning a hill or ridge. [2]

Descent of the manor

The manor is listed in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is described as "Land of the Count of Martin" paying tax to the king for six hides, or about 720 acres (291.4 ha). It had two slaves, six villagers, five smallholders and a variety of livestock and was valued for tax purposes at 100 shillings. [3] It was at that time within the Hundred of South Petherton. [4]

In the 11th century the manor was held by the de Cricket family.[ citation needed ] In 1328-9 Michael de Cricket sold the manor to Walter de Rodney, who subsequently conveyed it to John of Clevedon. [5] In 1466 it was acquired by Stephen Preston, whose great-grandson and last male descendant was John Preston, whose daughter and heiress Margaret Preston (d.1672), married John Hippisley of Ston Easton in Somerset, and thus Cricket St Thomas passed to her Hippisley descendants. In 1775 Richard Hippisley-Coxe sold it to Admiral Alexander Hood, 1st Viscount Bridport, 1st Baron Bridport (1726-1814), who although having married twice died childless and thus bequeathed it to his younger great-nephew Samuel Hood, 2nd Baron Bridport (1788-1868) (who inherited his Irish barony by special remainder), the husband of Charlotte Mary Nelson, 3rd Duchess of Bronté (1787–1873), daughter and heiress of William Nelson, 1st Earl Nelson, 2nd Duke of Bronté (1757–1835), elder brother and heir of the great Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté (1758–1805). Samuel and Charlotte's son Alexander Hood, 1st Viscount Bridport, 3rd Baron Bridport (1814-1904) (Viscountcy created 1868), 4th Duke of Bronté in Sicily, sold it in 1898 to the chocolate manufacturer Francis Fry (d.1918), the estate having become heavily mortgaged. [6]

Modern governance

Today the parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council's operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.

The parish falls within the Non-metropolitan district of South Somerset, which was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, having previously been part of Chard Rural District. [7] The district council is responsible for local planning and building control, local roads, council housing, environmental health, markets and fairs, refuse collection and recycling, cemeteries and crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism.

Somerset Council is responsible for running the largest and most expensive local services such as education, social services, libraries, main roads, public transport, policing and fire services, trading standards, waste disposal and strategic planning.

It is also part of the Yeovil county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. It was part of the South West England constituency of the European Parliament prior to Britain leaving the European Union in January 2020, which elected seven MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.

Church of St Thomas

The parish Church of St Thomas, a Grade II* listed building., [8] was almost totally rebuilt in 1819-20 by Samuel Hood, 2nd Baron Bridport, and traces of the earlier ancient Saxon and medieval building have largely been lost. The church contains monuments to the Nelson family (Earl Nelson) and its successor the Hood family (Viscount Bridport), lords of the manor, seated at Cricket House from the 18th century until 1898.

Monuments

Monuments in the church and churchyard include those to:

Monument to Alexander Hood, 1st Viscount Bridport (1814-1904), Cricket St Thomas Church Cricket saint thomas hood monument arp.jpg
Monument to Alexander Hood, 1st Viscount Bridport (1814-1904), Cricket St Thomas Church

Mounted on the north nave wall is a fragment of the altar cloth used in the Coronation Service of Queen Elizabeth II in 1952.

Cricket House

Cricket House Cricket House (5446682086).jpg
Cricket House

The surviving grade II listed [11] Georgian manor house, known as "Cricket House", was built in 1786 by Admiral Alexander Hood, 1st Viscount Bridport (1726-1814), to the designs of the architect Sir John Soane (1753-1837). [6] [12] The Admiral had purchased the estate in 1775 from Richard Hippisley Coxe. It is unknown whether the new house incorporated elements of the earlier 14th century house or whether it was completely new. [13] Soane completed further alterations in 1801–7. The Georgian orangery attached to the house was later turned into a parrot house but is now used for bowling by Warner holiday guests. [14] In the grounds is a small garden house known as "The Admirals Seat". [15] In 1999 the house was developed into a Warner Leisure Hotels resort.

Fictionalised as "Grantleigh Manor"

Cricket House was filmed as the fictitious "Grantleigh Manor" in the British sitcom television series To the Manor Born , broadcast from 1979 to 1981 and written by Peter Spence, whose father-in-law was then the owner of the house. Despite the closeness depicted on screen, the Manor and Lodge are in fact about one mile (1.6 km) apart. [16] The Lodge was given additional features such as gateposts to give the impression it was a gatehouse, following various previous alterations. [17] The house was again used as "Grantleigh Manor" in a 25th anniversary special of To The Manor Born shown in 2007.

Heritage at Risk Register

In 2009 the estate was added to English Heritage's Heritage at Risk Register due to pressure from the development of the hotel and leisure facilities. Its vulnerability is now classed as 'Medium'. [18] Some parts of the grounds have been restored through Natural England's Environmental Stewardship Scheme. [19]

Wildlife park

Wildlife Park at Cricket St Thomas Cricketstthomaswlidlifepark.jpg
Wildlife Park at Cricket St Thomas

The former deer park of the house, known as "Cricket Park", were designed by D.D (David) Davis, a noted horticulturist at the start of the 19th Century, [20] and were later turned into a wildlife park. the wildlife park was home to 600 rare and endangered species including lemurs, primates, camels, reptiles and wildfowl. [21] Questions were raised in the UK parliament in 1995 after a rare Asian elephant was euthanised at the park. [22] [23] The wildlife park closed in 2009 and most of the larger animals were moved to other zoos around the country. Some of the smaller animals, such as the lemurs, were kept and the park was returned to gardens and lakes, re-opening in mid-2010. [24] The park has since closed again and very little remains of the enclosures or buildings.

Crinkley Bottom theme park

In 1994 the grounds also became home to Crinkley Bottom, a theme park created by the broadcaster Noel Edmonds themed on the "Mr Blobby" character from his hit BBC television series Noel's House Party . The project was short-lived and closed within four years, shortly after Noel's House Party went off air, [25] when the grounds reverted to their previous use.

Mr Blobby's house, named 'Dunblobbin' was situated at the rear of the park. Other attractions at the park included a TV-themed dark ride and a walkthrough exhibit of Noddy's Toyland Adventures. [26] Remains of the house and its 'Blobbyland' theme park could still be seen until 2014, [25] overgrown and strewn with fallen leaves and mud. Mr Blobby's house was demolished in late 2014. [27]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viscount Bridport</span> British viscountcy

Viscount Bridport is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of Great Britain and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation became extinct in 1814, while the second creation is extant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Hood, 1st Viscount Bridport</span> Royal Navy officer

Admiral Alexander Hood, 1st Viscount Bridport, KB, of Cricket St Thomas, Somerset, was an officer of the British Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Nelson, 1st Earl Nelson</span> Elder brother of Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson (1757–1835)

William Nelson, 1st Earl Nelson, 2nd Duke of Bronte, was an Anglican clergyman and an older brother of Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samuel Hood, 2nd Baron Bridport</span>

Samuel Hood, 2nd Baron Bridport, of Redlynch House in Wiltshire, of Cricket House at Cricket St Thomas in Somerset, and of 12 Wimpole Street in Westminster, was a British politician and peer.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dukedom of Bronte</span>

The Dukedom of Bronte is a dukedom with the title Duke of Bronte, referring to the town of Bronte in the province of Catania, Sicily. It was granted on 10 October 1799 at Palermo to the British Royal Navy officer Horatio Nelson by King Ferdinand III of Sicily, in gratitude for Nelson having saved the kingdom of Sicily from conquest by Revolutionary French forces under Napoleon. This was largely achieved by Nelson's victory at the Battle of the Nile (1798), which extinguished French naval power in the Mediterranean, but also by his having evacuated the royal family from their palace in Naples to the safety of Palermo in Sicily. It carried the right to sit in parliament within the military branch. The dukedom does not descend according to fixed rules but is transferable by the holder to whomsoever he or she desires, strangers included. Accompanying it was a grant of a 15,000 hectare estate, centered on the ancient monastery of Maniace, five miles north of Bronte, which Nelson ordered to be restored and embellished as his residence – thenceforth called Castello di Maniace. He appointed as his resident administrator Johann Andreas Graeffer, an English-trained German landscape gardener who had recently created the English Garden at the Royal Palace of Caserta in Naples. Nelson never set foot on his estate, as he was killed in action six years later at the Battle of Trafalgar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maniace</span> Comune in Sicily, Italy

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlotte Hood, 3rd Duchess of Bronte</span> British noble (1787–1873)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rowland Hood, 3rd Viscount Bridport</span>

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The Anglican Church Of St Leonard in Butleigh, within the English county of Somerset, was built in the 14th century. It is a Grade II* listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St Thomas, Cricket St Thomas</span> Church in Somerset, England

The Church of St Thomas in Cricket St Thomas, Somerset, England was built in the 14th century and rebuilt in 1868. It is a Grade II* listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castello di Maniace</span> Manor house in Maniace, Italy

The Castello di Maniace is a manor house built on the site of a former ancient monastery 3 km south of the centre of the small village of Maniace and 8 km north of the large town of Bronte, on the eastern foothills of Mount Etna. From 1799 to 1981 it was the seat of the Dukes of Bronte, English noblemen, the first of whom was Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson (1758–1805), in 1799 created Duke of Bronte by King Ferdinand III of Sicily and Naples. In 1981 the manor house and large estate was sold to the Commune of Bronte by Alexander Hood, 4th Viscount Bridport, 7th Duke of Bronte, descended from the daughter of William Nelson, 1st Earl Nelson (1757–1835) 2nd Duke of Bronte, elder brother and heir of Admiral Nelson.

References

  1. 1 2 "South Somerset population estimates for 2002" (PDF). Somerset County Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 July 2007. Retrieved 27 December 2009.
  2. ↑ Bush, Robin (1994). Somerset: The complete guide . Wimborne: Dovecote press. ISBN   1-874336-27-X.
  3. ↑ "Cricket St Thomas Hotel". Haynes Motor Museum World Forum 2007. Archived from the original on 8 April 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2008.
  4. ↑ "Somerset Hundreds". GENUKI. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  5. ↑ Victoria County History, Somerset, 1978, quoted by
  6. 1 2 "CRICKET HOUSE, Cricket St. Thomas - 1001142 | Historic England".
  7. ↑ "Chard RD". A vision of Britain Through Time. University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  8. ↑ Historic England. "Church of St Thomas (1056183)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 24 September 2007.
  9. ↑ Historic England. "Nelson monument in churchyard, in angle between nave and south transept, Church of St Thomas (1177121)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 24 September 2007.
  10. ↑ Historic England. "Two monuments in churchyard, about 3 metres west of porch, church of St Thomas (1056184)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 24 September 2007.
  11. ↑ Listed building text
  12. ↑ Historic England. "Cricket House (1177146)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 24 September 2007.
  13. ↑ English Heritage
  14. ↑ Historic England. "Former orangery, about 30 metres south-west of Cricket House (1366402)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 24 September 2007.
  15. ↑ Historic England. "The Admiral's Seat, about 650 metres north-north-east of Cricket House (1177160)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 24 September 2007.
  16. ↑ "British Sitcom Guide Page". Archived from the original on 28 October 2007. Retrieved 24 September 2007.
  17. ↑ Historic England. "West Lodge (1366401)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 24 September 2007.
  18. ↑ http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/publications/har-2013-registers/sw-HAR-register-2013.pdfretrieved 21 January 2013 Archived 4 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  19. ↑ "Cricket House, Cricket St. Thomas / Winsham - South Somerset". Heritage at Risk. English Heritage. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  20. ↑ "Cricket St Thomas Overview". Warner Breaks. Archived from the original on 12 December 2007. Retrieved 24 September 2007.
  21. ↑ "Take a Walk on the Wild Side!". Warner Breaks. Archived from the original on 12 December 2007. Retrieved 24 September 2007.
  22. ↑ "Killing of an elephant at Cricket St Thomas Wildlife Centre". Parliament UK. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  23. ↑ "Sahib Fridolin at Cricket St Thomas Wildlife Park". Elephant database. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  24. ↑ "Cricket St Thomas Hotel in Somerset | Warner Leisure Hotels".
  25. 1 2 "Look what's happened to the house that Blobby built". Chard and Ilminster News . Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  26. ↑ "Crinkley Bottom Park History". Dunblobbin.com. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  27. ↑ Cooke, Emma (8 January 2020). "The fascinating stories behind Britain's forgotten theme parks. 5 Blobbyland, Somerset". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 9 April 2020. The buildings were left to decay for years, growing over with moss, until the site was demolished in 2014 in an attempt to stop break-ins.
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