Somerset Rural Life Museum

Last updated

Somerset Rural Life Museum
Abbey Tithe Barn, Glastonbury 1.JPG
Somerset UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location within Somerset and the United Kingdom
Established1975
Location Glastonbury, Somerset
Coordinates 51°08′55″N2°42′50″W / 51.1485°N 2.7140°W / 51.1485; -2.7140
Website Museum Website
Official nameThe Abbey Barn at Abbey Farm
Designated12 January 1932
Reference no. 1019389
Listed Building – Grade I
Official nameAbbey Tithe Barn including attached wall to the east
Designated21 June 1950
Reference no. 1057953

The Somerset Rural Life Museum is situated in Glastonbury, Somerset, UK. It is a museum of the social and agricultural history of Somerset, housed in buildings surrounding a 14th-century barn once belonging to Glastonbury Abbey.

Contents

It was used for the storage of arable produce, particularly wheat and rye, from the abbey's home farm of approximately 524 acres (2.12 km2). It is not believed to have stored produce offered as tithe payments and is therefore referred to as an abbey barn rather than a tithe barn. [1] Threshing and winnowing would also have been carried out in the barn.

The barn which was built from local 'shelly' limestone, with thick timbers supporting the stone tiling of the roof. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building, [2] and is a Scheduled monument. [3] In 2011 the 14 feet (4.3 m) high doors of the barn were replaced by local craftsmen using materials and traditional techniques and materials to a design based on The Bishop's Eye in Wells. [4]

After the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539 the barn was given to the Duke of Somerset. By the early 20th century it was being used as a farm store by the Mapstone family. In 1974 they donated it to Somerset County Council and between 1976 and 1978 underwent restoration. It was also used as the location for the pistol duel in Stanley Kubrick's "Barry Lyndon", released in 1975. [5]

The barn and courtyard contain displays of farm machinery from the Victorian or early 20th Century period. Other exhibits show local crafts, including willow coppicing, mud horse fishing on the flats of Bridgwater Bay, peat digging on the Somerset Levels, and the production of milk, cheese, and cider. In reconstructed rooms detailing domestic life in the nearby village of Butleigh, the story of one farm worker, John Hodges, is told from cradle to grave.

Outside, there is a beehive and rare breeds of poultry and sheep, in the cider apple orchard. Regular craft demonstrations and talks on farming are held, as are activities for children and families. There is a shop, tea room, car park and disabled access. The shop is run by the Friends of the Somerset Rural Life Museum.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glastonbury</span> Human settlement in England

Glastonbury is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, 23 miles (37 km) south of Bristol. The town had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbury is less than 1 mile (2 km) across the River Brue from Street, which is now larger than Glastonbury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lacock</span> Village in Wiltshire, England

Lacock is a village and civil parish in the county of Wiltshire, England, about 3 miles (5 km) south of the town of Chippenham, and about 3.7 miles (6.0 km) outside the Cotswolds area. The village is owned almost in its entirety by the National Trust and attracts many visitors by virtue of its unspoiled appearance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tithe barns in Europe</span> Type of barn used in much of northern Europe in the Middle Ages for storing rents and tithes

A tithe barn was a type of barn used in much of northern Europe in the Middle Ages for storing rents and tithes. Farmers were required to give one-tenth of their produce to the established church. Tithe barns were usually associated with the village church or rectory, and independent farmers took their tithes there. The village priests did not have to pay tithes—the purpose of the tithe being their support. Some operated their own farms anyway. The former church property has sometimes been converted to village greens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glastonbury Abbey</span> Former Benedictine abbey at Somerset, England

Glastonbury Abbey was a monastery in Glastonbury, Somerset, England. Its ruins, a grade I listed building and scheduled ancient monument, are open as a visitor attraction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pilton, Somerset</span> Human settlement in England

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Butleigh</span> Human settlement in England

Butleigh is a small village and civil parish, located in Somerset. The nearest village to it is Barton St David, and it is located a short distance from Glastonbury and Street. Its population is 823. Butleigh has a church, small village shop, a Church of England primary school and Butleigh Nursery School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marksbury</span> Human settlement in England

Marksbury is a small village and civil parish on the eastern edge of the affluent Chew Valley in Somerset, about 4 miles (6.4 km) from Keynsham and 7 miles (11.3 km) from Bath on the A39 where it meets the A368. The parish, which includes the villages of Hunstrete and Stanton Prior, has a population of 397.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Camel</span> Village in Somerset, England

West Camel is a village and civil parish in south Somerset, England, about 7 miles (11.3 km) north of the town of Yeovil. It lies either side of the River Cam, just south of the A303, and has a population of 459. The parish includes the hamlet of Urgashay. Neighbouring villages include Queen Camel, and Bridgehampton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muchelney Abbey</span> English Heritage property

Muchelney Abbey is an English Heritage property in the village of Muchelney in the Somerset Levels, England. The site consists of ruined walls showing the layout of the abbey buildings constructed from the 7th to 16th centuries, and the remaining intact Abbot's House. It is next to the parish church in which some of the fabric of the abbey has been reused.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doulting</span> Human settlement in England

Doulting is a village and civil parish 1.5 miles (2 km) east of Shepton Mallet, on the A361, in the Mendip district of Somerset, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Bradley</span> Human settlement in England

West Bradley is a village and civil parish 4 miles south-east of Glastonbury in Somerset, England. The parish includes the hamlets of Hornblotton and Lottisham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Pennard</span> Human settlement in England

West Pennard is a village and civil parish east of Glastonbury, situated at the foot of Pennard Hill, in Somerset, England. The parish includes the hamlets of Coxbridge and Woodlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Pennard Court Barn</span> Grade I listed building in Mendip, UK

West Pennard Court Barn is a late 14th or early 15th century tithe barn which was built for Glastonbury Abbey. The Grade I listed building is between West Pennard and West Bradley in the English county of Somerset.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grade I listed buildings in Somerset</span> Buildings of exceptional interest in Somerset

The Grade I listed buildings in Somerset, England, demonstrate the history and diversity of its architecture. The ceremonial county of Somerset consists of a non-metropolitan county, administered by Somerset County Council, which is divided into five districts, and two unitary authorities. The districts of Somerset are West Somerset, South Somerset, Taunton Deane, Mendip and Sedgemoor. The two administratively independent unitary authorities, which were established on 1 April 1996 following the breakup of the county of Avon, are North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset. These unitary authorities include areas that were once part of Somerset before the creation of Avon in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tithe Barn, Pilton</span> Historic building at Cumhill Farm in Pilton, Somerset, England

The Tithe Barn at Cumhill Farm in Pilton, Somerset, England, was built in the 14th century as a tithe barn to hold produce for Glastonbury Abbey. It is a Grade I listed building and Scheduled Ancient Monument.

Mendip is a former 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 has a population of approximately 11,000. The administrative centre of the district is Shepton Mallet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Tribunal, Glastonbury</span> Grade I listed architectural structure in Glastonbury

The Tribunal in Glastonbury, Somerset, England, was built in the 15th century as a merchant's house. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tithe Barn, Manor Farm, Doulting</span>

The Tithe Barn at Manor Farm in Doulting, Somerset, England, was built in the 15th century, and has been designated as a Grade I listed building, and scheduled as an ancient monument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bradford-on-Avon Tithe Barn</span>

Bradford-on-Avon Tithe Barn is a Grade I listed barn in Pound Lane, Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, England. It was part of a medieval grange belonging to Shaftesbury Abbey and was built in the early 14th century, with a granary dated to about 1400. It is owned and protected by English Heritage and managed by the Bradford on Avon Preservation Trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Place Farm, Tisbury</span> Farm in Tisbury, Wiltshire, England

Place Farm is a complex of medieval buildings in the village of Tisbury, Wiltshire, England. They originally formed a grange of Shaftesbury Abbey. The farmhouse, the inner and outer gatehouses and the barn, reputedly the largest in England, are all Grade I listed buildings.

References

  1. ↑ "The Abbey Barn". Somerset Rural Life Museum. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  2. ↑ Historic England (21 June 1950). "Abbey Tithe Barn including attached wall to the east (Grade I) (1057953)". National Heritage List for England .
  3. ↑ Historic England (12 January 1932). "The Abbey Barn at Abbey Farm (Grade Scheduled monument) (1019389)". National Heritage List for England .
  4. ↑ "History in their making". Mendip Times. May 2011. p. 6.
  5. ↑ "Barry Lyndon film locations". The Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.