Old Shute House

Shute Barton, located at Shute, near Axminster, Devon, England, is a mediaeval manor house, today a property of the National Trust.

Shute Gatehouse

Shute Barton is one of the most important non-fortified manor houses of the Middle Ages still in existence. It was commenced in approximately 1380 and finally completed in the late 16th century, before being partly demolished in the 17th century. Only two wings of the original 1380 building now remain, including a kitchen with the largest Tudor fireplace in Britain, with a span of 24 feet.

The great hall with its beamed ceiling and the kitchen with its large open fireplace have survived and the house displays battlemented turrets, late Gothic windows and a late Tudor gatehouse.

The house was previously owned by the Pole family, and was formerly held by the family of Lady Jane Grey. Although it is now run by the National Trust, the Pole family descendants have the right to live there, though the house is currently (2009) empty and being converted into holiday apartments. The gatehouse is leased separately to the Landmark Trust who market it as a holiday let.

External links

• Shute Barton information at the National Trust
• Shute Gatehouse information at the Landmark Trust