Hunstrete
| Hunstrete | |
| Somerset | |
|---|---|
 Hunstrete Green | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | ST647624 |
| Location: | 51°21’36"N, 2°30’25"W |
| Data | |
| Post town: | Bristol |
| Postcode: | BS40 |
| Dialling code: | 01761 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Bath & NE Somerset |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
North East Somerset |
Hunstrete is a small village on the River Chew in the Chew Valley in Somerset. It is found eight miles from Bristol, and Bath, and five miles from Keynsham.
History
The origin of the name Hunstrete is unclear. One explanation is that it means 'The hundred road' from the Old English hund and street.[1] Other possible derivations are the personal name hund and Old English steort meaning a projecting piece of land, or hund, meaning hound or dog, relating to the place where they were kept.[2]
Although occupation during the Iron Age is possible the earliest evidence are Roman coins from the emperor Carausius, and continuous occupation during the Saxon period may have been connected with the nearby Wansdyke. A charter of 936 suggests the land was given to a thegn by the name of Ethelelm by Æthelstan.
The manor was granted to Glastonbury Abbey who held it until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539 when it was forfeit to the crown and granted to Richard Watkins.
At the beginning of the 17th century the estate passed to the family of Sir John Popham (who served as Lord Chief Justice), whose descendants sold off portions of land in the intervening years but owned Hunstrete House until 1977.[2]
Hunstrete House
Hunstrete House is a Grade II listed building dating from 1820.[3] In its grounds are Hunstrete Lake, a walled garden[4] and an icehouse which is also a listed building.[5]
In September 2007 a team from the television programme Time Team visited Hunstrete to explore stories about the "Grand Mansion" which preceded the current house. It is thought that Francis Popham (died 1779), a descendant of Sir John Popham, started the construction of a 17-bay mansion which was, however, suspended after his death and abandoned after the death of his wife Dorothy (Hutton) in 1797. The construction which had taken place was demolished in 1836, leaving just a line of arches. The main staircase, fireplace and chandelier were used in the restoration of Prior Park in Bath.[6] The excavations undertaken tried to identify whether there was a previous mediæval or Tudor manor house on the site. The programme was aired on 17 February 2008,[7] and showed that the "Grand Mansion" was really the addition of a new exterior to a previous building.[8]
Other buildings of note
Other Grade II listed buildings in the area are a pair of mid-nineteenth-century cottages,[9] and a fragment of an arcade from an earlier large house, dating from c.1700.[10]
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Hunstrete) |
References
- ↑ Robinson, Stephen (1992). Somerset Place Names. Wimborne, Dorset: The Dovecote Press Ltd. ISBN 1-874336-03-2.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Caola, Susan Elizabeth (2003). Hunstrete: Truth and legend. The Author. ISBN 0-9546239-0-8.
- ↑ National Heritage List 1136457: Hunstrete House
- ↑ "The Pig is expanding its litter". http://www.thepighotel.com/news-and-awards/the-pig-is-expanding-its-litter!.aspx. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
- ↑ National Heritage List 1312791: Icehouse about 120 metres north of Hunstrete House
- ↑ "Hunstrete Grand Mansion". Wessex Archeology. Videotext Communications Ltd. https://www.scribd.com/doc/11781255/Hunstrete-Grand-Mansion. Retrieved 10 February 2009.
- ↑ Janes, Rowland (October 2007). "The time team tackles Hunstrete riddle". Chew Valley Gazette.
- ↑ "Hunstrete, Somerset". Time Team. http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/T/timeteam/2008/hunstrete/index.html. Retrieved 17 February 2008.
- ↑ National Heritage List 1129523: Pair of cottages
- ↑ National Heritage List 1129564: Arcade
