King John's Hunting Lodge
Encyclopedia
King John's Hunting Lodge is a wool
-merchant's house of around 1500 in Axbridge
, Somerset
, England. It is a Grade II* listed building.
The building comprised shops on the ground floor, living areas and workshops on the first floor, and storage and sleeping areas on the second floor. In 1340 a building with shops occupied the same site; it belonged to John Oldeway and was called "the stockhouse'. This house is the finest of a number of wood-framed houses in the High Street and The Square, unusual in a town where stone buildings, generally rendered with plaster or mortar, were common. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the building housed a succession of shops and underwent various changes which contributed to its physical decline. It was saved from probable destruction thanks to a Miss Ripley, who bought it and bequeathed it to the National Trust
, who in turn undertook the works necessary to make it fit for visitors. In overhauling the structure of the premises in 1971, the National Trust restored its medieval character by recreating on the ground floor the appearance of arcaded stalls opening onto the street, and the sixteenth-century decoration of the upstairs windows, although this did cause some dilemmas as it required the removal of fine 18th-century windows.
The property is owned by the National Trust
and run as a local history museum by Axbridge and District Museum Trust with support from Somerset County Museums Service and Axbridge Archaeological and Local History Society. Until 2011 funding was received from Sedgemoor District Council
, however this was withdrawn and an entry charge introduced to help pay for the running costs.
The museum aims to illustrate the history, geology and community of Axbridge and the surrounding area (the area of the old Axbridge Rural District
, which included many neighbouring villages such as Cheddar
, Wedmore
, Mark
and Winscombe
). There is a core of long-term and permanent exhibits, reviewed regularly for possible changes, updates, and revised displays and information, and there is a programme of temporary exhibitions to reflect many aspects of local life and heritage.
The origin of the name is unclear as it was not built until long after the reign of King John
, who died in 1216. Its present name first appeared in a 1915 publication, The Heart of Mendip by Francis Knight, when it was being run as a saddler's shop. The royal part of the name may have come from the fact that a carved king's head was found nearby, but whether this represented John or another king is not known. The head is now attached to one corner of the exterior.
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
-merchant's house of around 1500 in Axbridge
Axbridge
Axbridge is a town in Somerset, England, situated in the Sedgemoor district on the River Axe, near the southern edge of the Mendip Hills. The town population according to the 2001 census was 2,024.-History:...
, 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...
, England. It is a Grade II* listed building.
The building comprised shops on the ground floor, living areas and workshops on the first floor, and storage and sleeping areas on the second floor. In 1340 a building with shops occupied the same site; it belonged to John Oldeway and was called "the stockhouse'. This house is the finest of a number of wood-framed houses in the High Street and The Square, unusual in a town where stone buildings, generally rendered with plaster or mortar, were common. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the building housed a succession of shops and underwent various changes which contributed to its physical decline. It was saved from probable destruction thanks to a Miss Ripley, who bought it and bequeathed it to the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
, who in turn undertook the works necessary to make it fit for visitors. In overhauling the structure of the premises in 1971, the National Trust restored its medieval character by recreating on the ground floor the appearance of arcaded stalls opening onto the street, and the sixteenth-century decoration of the upstairs windows, although this did cause some dilemmas as it required the removal of fine 18th-century windows.
The property is owned by the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
and run as a local history museum by Axbridge and District Museum Trust with support from Somerset County Museums Service and Axbridge Archaeological and Local History Society. Until 2011 funding was received from Sedgemoor District Council
Sedgemoor
Sedgemoor is a low lying area of land in Somerset, England. It lies close to sea level south of the Polden Hills, historically largely marsh . The eastern part is known as King's Sedgemoor, and the western part West Sedgemoor. Sedgemoor is part of the area now known as the Somerset Levels...
, however this was withdrawn and an entry charge introduced to help pay for the running costs.
The museum aims to illustrate the history, geology and community of Axbridge and the surrounding area (the area of the old Axbridge Rural District
Axbridge Rural District
Axbridge was a rural district in Somerset, England, from 1894 to 1974. It was named after the town of Axbridge.It was created in 1894 under the Local Government Act 1894 as a successor to the Axbridge rural sanitary district....
, which included many neighbouring villages such as Cheddar
Cheddar
Cheddar is a large village and civil parish in the Sedgemoor district of the English county of Somerset. It is situated on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills, north-west of Wells. The civil parish includes the hamlets of Nyland and Bradley Cross...
, Wedmore
Wedmore
Wedmore is a village and civil parish in the county of Somerset, England. It is situated on raised ground, in the Somerset Levels between the River Axe and River Brue, often called the Isle of Wedmore. It forms part of Sedgemoor district...
, Mark
Mark, Somerset
Mark is a village and civil parish which lies approximately from Bridgwater, from Axbridge, and from Highbridge in the Sedgemoor district of the county of Somerset, England...
and Winscombe
Winscombe
Winscombe is a village in North Somerset, England, close to the settlements of Axbridge and Cheddar, on the western edge of the Mendip Hills, south-east of Weston-super-Mare and south-west of Bristol...
). There is a core of long-term and permanent exhibits, reviewed regularly for possible changes, updates, and revised displays and information, and there is a programme of temporary exhibitions to reflect many aspects of local life and heritage.
The origin of the name is unclear as it was not built until long after the reign of King John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
, who died in 1216. Its present name first appeared in a 1915 publication, The Heart of Mendip by Francis Knight, when it was being run as a saddler's shop. The royal part of the name may have come from the fact that a carved king's head was found nearby, but whether this represented John or another king is not known. The head is now attached to one corner of the exterior.