Castles of the British Isles

Banwell was one of the manors of the bishops of Bath & Wells. They had a residence to the east of the church which they vacated in the eighteenth century. This was known as the Court House, and later as Banwell Abbey. Around 1874 the house was rebuilt to its present style by Joseph Dyer Sympson, the London solicitor who also built Banwell Castle.

Banwell Castle is an early Victorian construction rather than a medieval fortress. It sits close to Banwell Wood and the knoll upon which was located an Iron Age fort. The land was sold by the bishopric of Bath & Wells in 1753 from its main residence in the bishop's palace in Wells (see 'related links').

John and Joan Landown were the new owners, but in 1837 the estate was purchased by Symon Sympson. His son, Joseph Dyer Sympson, built the castle - more correctly referred to as a mansion house.

Castle construction took place in 1847, using the then-popular Gothic Revival style and with the work being handled by Bristol architect, Henry Lloyd. Building castellated homes at the time was very much in vogue, as epitomised by the various Augustus Pugin designs.

The Sympsons only retained the property until 1854, and then it went through a number of owners who made it their home for various lengths of time.

Richard and Constance Calvert from Churchill Court were the owners from 1917. Richard Calvert was a solicitor whose family had been in the cotton trade in Bolton. The Calverts had another Bristol architect, Sir George Oatley, handle work on the structure in 1919.

The RAF took over the mansion house during the Second World War, using it as an area headquarters for the 'Barrage Balloon' section. The gatehouse was used by the local ARP (air raid wardens).

The now-elderly Mrs Calvert died in 1956, after which the Eccles family moved in to look after their Uncle Richard. When he died they had Rhodyate Lodge built in the grounds, in 1962. The estate was then sold to Simon and Phillipa Wills, after which it passed through various other hands until the Parsons bought it in 1988. They had already been part of the estate since 1969.

Today the castle is a hotel and restaurant, and remains very much the Parson family home, although guests are welcome to stay in this landmark building. It is set in ten hectares of gardens and grounds together with Banwell Garden Centre. Views to the south include the Loxton valley to the Mendip hills and to the north across the moors to the Bristol Channel and Welsh hills.

Four photos on this page kindly contributed by Aliy, Archidave (two), and Ladylynx13, all via the 'History Files: Castles of the British Isles' Flickr group, and one from the History Files collection.