No 15 - Nailsea and District Local History Society

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Little Manor, West Endby Peter WrightThe June meeting of the Society was held at Little Manor at theinvitation of Mr & Mrs Hale the owners. The weather wasbeautiful and all those who went had a thoroughly enjoyabletime looking round the old house and receiving refreshments.Thanks were expressed to Mr and Mrs Hale by Trevor Bowen andI have pleasure in repeating them here. A fascinating house toexplore with so many mysteries!I have read the report of an examination of the property in 1990and made the following summary. I thank Mr and Mrs Hale forallowing me to read it and prepare the following notes. Thereport is signed by E.H.D. Williams and notes that Miss P.Brimacombe assisted with this record.“Little Manor is a house of exceptional length 69ft and is of twofull storeys for 23ft at the E end but only one and a half storeyswith upper windows in tall gabled dormers for the W 46ft; to theN abreast the latter but partly overlapping the former is a oneand a half storey wing with similar gabled dormers. The roof istiled with coped gable at the W end and on one wing, but thetall part has plain verges; the depth of coping indicates anoriginally thatched roof”.The angular alignment of the wing is unexplained. It is suggestedthat it was built as a kitchen in the 17C whilst the outer roombecame a low-ended parlour, a rarity in Somerset occurring inoriginal long-houses, combined house and byre.In the angle with the wing is a spiral stair. The report suggeststhat it is possible that the tall part of the house is a late (probably19C) rebuild and extension of the inner room of the originalhouse.
There is said to have been a datestone of 1661 no longer visible.I infer from the report that the original building of three roomand cross passage plan could be earlier. There are spiral stairsabreast the hall stack , which the report says are typical of suchan earlier house.The walls are described as being between 20 inches and 2 feetthick with the tall E end somewhat thinner.The windows are a mixture of copies and originals. “The knowncopies are so exact that it is difficult to be sure how many of theothers are (or are not) original”. The windows are all underangled dripmoulds. These are unusual as they are not “ofdressed stone but are composed of irregular lengths of the localslab shaped rubble”.In the late Jim Pullan’s (JMP) Parish survey of Nailsea which hecarried out c1976 he mentions the following two references tobuildings called West End Farm at various times:JMP records“West End Dairy Farm” - shown as West End Farm on the OSmaps. The house known as Little Manor was originally a WestEnd Farmhouse. The adjoining buildings now used for dairy workare recent. Source Mr Biggs. JMP also had information from MrWhitefield who moved from Little Manor to Nailsea Court. JMPsuggests that the building was 17C. National Grid Reference(NGR) 4440 6900.JMP then describes“West End Farm” NGR 4455 6920Described as West End Farm on the sale plan of 1874. The houseappears to be 17C but buildings behind appear to be older. Awell in front has recently been filled in. Large round stone and apossible stone quern. Information given to JMP by Mr Stevenson.
Page 2 and 3: Previously published by Nailsea & D
Page 4 and 5: sorting out a late Aunt’s papers.
Page 6 and 7: Fronting onto the High Street were
Page 8 and 9: after ringing unless for a special
Page 12 and 13: (Ed. Pocket Oxford Dictionary “Qu
Page 14 and 15: for them when I go along that drive
Page 16 and 17: caption reads “Every vat at this
Page 18 and 19: A LOCAL BIBLIOGRAPHYPART 2 continue
Page 20 and 21: Section FPublished by Nailsea and D
Page 22 and 23: Family Historyby Peter WrightA Frui
Page 24 and 25: Phyllis Horman and Millie Knox. As
Page 26: William Henry (Tailor and Organist)

No 15 - Nailsea and District Local History Society

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