THE ESTATE
In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Cricket St Thomas like this:
"CRICKET-ST. THOMAS, a parish in Chard district, Somerset; near the Yeovil and Exeter railway, 4¼ miles W by S of Crewkerne. Post town, Winsham, under Chard. Acres, 875. Real property, £1, 49 7. Pop., 66. Houses, 16. The property is all in one estate. Cricket Lodge, rebuilt about 1799, and situated in a romantic dell, is the seat of Lord Bridport. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Bath and Wells. Value, £106.* Patron, Lord Bridport. The church consists of nave, chancel, and central aisle, with a tower; has monuments to the first Lord Bridport and to Earl Nelson; and is good."
The Manor House
Constructed in the 14th Century but considerably rebuilt by Alexandre Hood in the 19th Century under the management of the renowned neo-classical architect Sir John Soane.
The house remained a family home up until 1998 when it was turned into a hotel by Warner Leisure as it is to this day.
Farming and Land
Cricket St Thomas is set in a valley and plays host to both arable and pastraol farming spead over roughly 1,000 acres.
Holiday Lodges
Swandown Holiday Lodges are award winning, self catering, one and two storey lodges that provide an ideal get away to the English Countryside.
With onsite pool, WiFi, Hot Tub, views to the coast, nearby golf course, bicycle hire, fishing and extensive countryside walks its a perfect holiday for familes and couples.
Church
St Thomas, Cricket St Thomas in the Church of England Diocese of Bath & Wells.
The parish church is dedicated to St Thomas. It is based on Saxon and medieval origins, but was almost totally rebuilt in 1819 to 1820 for Samuel Hood, 2nd Baron Bridport. The church contains monuments to the families of Hood (Viscount Bridport) and their predecessors the Viscounts Nelson, who gained the title through Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson. These include, on the chancel south wall, a commemoration of Alexander Hood, who died in 1814, which was designed and signed by Sir John Soane, with a black marble base topped by a white marble monument on Ionic columns framing the memorial plaque. Mounted on the north nave wall is a fragment of the altar cloth used in the Coronation Service of Queen Elizabeth II. The church is designated by English Heritage as a Grade II*listed building.
