Dinder House
Encyclopedia
Dinder House, a Grade II Regency
listed building in the small village of Dinder
, in Somerset
, was built in 1801 by the Rev William Somerville on the site of a former manor house. The original house consisted of only the centre part of the building. The outer bays were added around 1850 by Vulliamy
, and a further single-storey addition to the north dates from 1929. The gate piers, quadrant walls and flanking piers include panelled central piers with pagodal caps, and one with iron lamp at its apex. A bridge over the River Sheppey
predates the house.
The estate had come into the Somerville family on the marriage of an heiress of the Hickes family to George Somerville (d. 1776), father of the William Somerville who erected the new house in 1801. On the death of William's widow, the estate passed to his nephew, James Somerville Fownes, who adopted the surname Somerville, to save its connection with the house.
The last Somerville resident of the house was Admiral of the Fleet Sir James Fownes Somerville, who was in charge of the British force that sank the French fleet
at Mers-el-Kébir
, near Oran
, Algeria
, on 3 July 1940. After World War II
, Somerville, who was made Lord Lieutenant of Somerset in August 1946, lived in the house, dying there on 19 March 1949. The house passed out of the Somerville family in the 1970s.
Dinder House is now owned by the Mycock family, who bought it in 2002.
English Regency
The Regency era in the United Kingdom is the period between 1811—when King George III was deemed unfit to rule and his son, the Prince of Wales, ruled as his proxy as Prince Regent—and 1820, when the Prince Regent became George IV on the death of his father....
listed building in the small village of Dinder
Dinder
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.The river Sheppey runs alongside the main street of the village....
, in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, was built in 1801 by the Rev William Somerville on the site of a former manor house. The original house consisted of only the centre part of the building. The outer bays were added around 1850 by Vulliamy
Lewis Vulliamy
Lewis Vulliamy was an English architect belonging to the Vulliamy family of clockmakers.-Life:Lewis Vulliamy was the son of the clockmaker Benjamin Vulliamy. He was born in Pall Mall, London on 15 March 1791, and articled to Sir Robert Smirke...
, and a further single-storey addition to the north dates from 1929. The gate piers, quadrant walls and flanking piers include panelled central piers with pagodal caps, and one with iron lamp at its apex. A bridge over the River Sheppey
River Sheppey
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.- Route :...
predates the house.
The estate had come into the Somerville family on the marriage of an heiress of the Hickes family to George Somerville (d. 1776), father of the William Somerville who erected the new house in 1801. On the death of William's widow, the estate passed to his nephew, James Somerville Fownes, who adopted the surname Somerville, to save its connection with the house.
The last Somerville resident of the house was Admiral of the Fleet Sir James Fownes Somerville, who was in charge of the British force that sank the French fleet
Destruction of the French Fleet at Mers-el-Kebir
The Attack on Mers-el-Kébir, part of Operation Catapult and also known as the Battle of Mers-el-Kébir, was a naval engagement fought at Mers-el-Kébir on the coast of what was then French Algeria on 3 July 1940...
at Mers-el-Kébir
Mers-el-Kébir
Mers-el-Kébir is a port town in northwestern Algeria, located by the Mediterranean Sea near Oran, in the Oran Province.-History:Originally a Roman port, Mers-el-Kébir became an Almohad naval arsenal in the 12th century, fell under the rulers of Tlemcen in the 15th century, and eventually became a...
, near Oran
Oran
Oran is a major city on the northwestern Mediterranean coast of Algeria, and the second largest city of the country.It is the capital of the Oran Province . The city has a population of 759,645 , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1,500,000, making it the second largest...
, Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, on 3 July 1940. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Somerville, who was made Lord Lieutenant of Somerset in August 1946, lived in the house, dying there on 19 March 1949. The house passed out of the Somerville family in the 1970s.
Dinder House is now owned by the Mycock family, who bought it in 2002.