Kilver Court is a historic house and gardens in Shepton Mallet in the English county of Somerset. The River Sheppey powered textile mills and it later became a factory, the headquarters of the Showerings brewing business (later part of Allied Domecq), and then the headquarters of a leather-goods manufacturer, Mulberry. It is now used as a shopping centre.
Numbers 26, 26B and 27 Kilver street was a country house built around 1650 and since converted into offices and shops. They form a Grade II listed building. [1] It was originally owned by the Whiting family which included Richard Whiting, who used it as their country house close to the mills used in woollen manufacturing, later converting to silk throwers and then lace production [2]
The 19th century dovecote, known as the "Round House" and its adjacent gate piers and gates are also listed. [3] [4] [5]
Over the course of the 20th century the site has been a factory, the headquarters of the Showerings brewing business (later part of Allied Domecq), and then the headquarters of a leather-goods manufacturer, Mulberry. [6]
It has been used as a venue for the Shepton Mallet Digital Arts Festival.
The gardens are overlooked by the disused Charlton Viaduct as it crosses the River Sheppey. [7] They were laid out in the 1880s by Ernest Jardine, the Member of Parliament for East Somerset, 1910 to 1918, for his lace workers. [8] He used the old mill ponds as boating lakes; [9] and also built a pub and schoolhouse. [8] They became known as Jardine’s Park and included fruit and vegetable plots which provided food for the workers. [6] [10] [11]
The current layout is a reproduction of a 1960s Chelsea Flower Show medal winning garden designed by George Whitelegg and includes a rockery and parterre. [12] The area adjacent to the river includes hostas, day lilies and candelabra primulas. [13]
In 2010 the buildings were converted into a designer outlet by Roger Saul the founder of Mulberry. [14] The stores include: Mulberry, L.K.Bennett and Whistles. [15] Following the challenges of Covid-19, Saul decided in 2021 to sell the business, and Kilver Court was bought by the Showerings family which had originally owned the site. [16]
Shepton Mallet is a market town and civil parish in the Mendip District of Somerset, England, some 16 miles (26 km) south-west of Bath, 18 miles (29 km) south of Bristol and 5 miles (8.0 km) east of Wells. It had an estimated population of 10,810 in 2019. Mendip District Council is based there. The Mendip Hills lie to the north and the River Sheppey runs through the town, as does the route of the Fosse Way, the main Roman road between north-east and south-west England. There is evidence of Roman settlement. Its listed buildings include a medieval parish church. Shepton Mallet Prison was England's oldest, but closed in March 2013. The medieval wool trade gave way to trades such as brewing in the 18th century. It remains noted for cider production. It is the closest town to the Glastonbury Festival and nearby the Royal Bath and West of England Society showground.
Babycham is the trade name of a light, sparkling perry invented by Francis Showering, a brewer in Shepton Mallet in Somerset, England. The name was owned by Accolade Wines until December 2021 when it was bought back into the Showering family business Brothers Drinks Limited. The brand was particularly popular during the 1960s and 1970s. The four brothers are planning a major rebranding and relaunch of the drink.
Pilton is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated on the A361 road in the Mendip district, 3 miles (5 km) south-west of Shepton Mallet and 6 miles (10 km) east of Glastonbury. The village has a population of 998. The parish includes the hamlets of West Compton, East Compton, Westholme, Beardly Batch and Cannards Grave.
Wells is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by James Heappey of the Conservative Party.
Ashwick is a village in the Mendip district of Somerset, England, about three miles north of Shepton Mallet and seven miles east from Wells. It has also been a civil parish since 1826. The parish had a population of 1,352 according to the 2011 census, and apart from Ashwick village also includes Gurney Slade and Oakhill.
Dinder is a small village 2½ miles west of Shepton Mallet, and 2 miles east of Wells in Somerset. It falls within the civil parish of St Cuthbert Out and the Mendip district.
Croscombe is a village and civil parish 2 miles (3 km) west of Shepton Mallet and 4 miles (6 km) from Wells, in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. It is situated on the A371 road in the valley of the River Sheppey.
Emborough is a village and civil parish 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Shepton Mallet, and 5 miles (8.0 km) north east of Wells, in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. It adjoins the parish of Ston Easton. It is situated on the B3139 between Radstock and Wells, just off the A37 road.
Stoke St Michael is a village and civil parish on the Mendip Hills 4 miles (6.4 km) north east of Shepton Mallet, and 8 miles (12.9 km) west of Frome, in the Mendip district of Somerset, England.
West Bradley is a village and civil parish 4 miles south-east of Glastonbury in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. The parish includes the hamlets of Hornblotton and Lottisham.
HMP Shepton Mallet, sometimes known as Cornhill, is a former prison located in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England. When it closed in 2013, it was the United Kingdom's oldest operating prison, and had been since the closure of HMP Lancaster Castle in 2011. Before closure Shepton Mallet was a category C lifer prison holding 189 prisoners. The prison building is grade II* listed, while the former gatehouse and perimeter walls are grade II.
The River Sheppey has its source in a group of springs west of the village of Doulting, near Shepton Mallet in Somerset, England. It flows through the wetlands to the north of the Polden Hills and ultimately joins the River Brue.
The Anglo-Bavarian Brewery was originally established in Shepton Mallet in Somerset, England in 1864. It has been claimed as the first lager brewery in the United Kingdom, although the claim is disputed. It closed in 1920. The building, now the Anglo Trading Estate, is a grade II* listed building and is on English Heritage's Heritage at Risk Register, and Mendip District Council's Historic Buildings at Risk Register.
Colonel William Strode, Jr — called William Strode of Barrington to distinguish him from contemporaries of the same name, principally the Strodes of Newnham in Devon — was an English Parliamentarian officer and Member of Parliament. A wealthy cloth merchant, he acquired several estates in his native county of Somerset and was noted for his local philanthropy as well as his political and military opposition to King Charles I and Charles II.
The Shepton Mallet Digital Arts Festival is a British annual public arts festival and creative industry showcase based in the Somerset town of Shepton Mallet at venues including Kilver Court.
Mendip is a local government district in the English county of Somerset. The Mendip district covers a largely rural area of 285 square miles (738 km2) ranging from the Mendip Hills through on to the Somerset Levels. It had a population of approximately 110,000 in 2014. The administrative centre of the district is Shepton Mallet.
Diamond White is a brand of white cider produced in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England by Brookfield Drinks, who bought the brand from the Gaymer Cider Company in 2013. Like White Star, it is a cider with an alcohol content of 7.5%. It was launched by the Taunton Cider Company of Shepton Mallet, now part of Matthew Clark, in 1986, and is one of the company's major brands of cider. In 2015, Brookfield relaunched Diamond White with new branding, and launched Diamond Black, an 8% amber cider.
Sir Ernest Jardine was a Nottingham, England, industrialist and businessman. He was a Liberal Unionist and later a Conservative Member of Parliament for East Somerset from 1910 to 1918.
Charlton Viaduct is a disused railway bridge in Shepton Mallet within the English county of Somerset. It is a Grade II* listed building.
Roger John Saul is a British businessman, the founder of the Mulberry fashion label.
