Lytes Cary Manor

About the museum

Lytes Cary Manor stands on the edge of the Somerset Levels and belonged to the Lyte family for about 500 years. The oldest visible part is the chapel, finished in 1348. The family extended the house over the centuries, adding a richly decorated Great Hall in the 1460s and further rooms in the Tudor period. Henry Lyte, a scholar and herbalist, translated a Flemish book on plants into English as A Niewe Herball in 1578, and a first edition is displayed in the house.

The family lost its fortune in the eighteenth century and the manor was sold in 1755. The north range became a farmhouse and other parts were used for storage or shelter, so the house fell into disrepair. In 1907 it was bought by Sir Walter Jenner and his wife Flora, who had the house restored by the architect C. E. Ponting and added a new west range. Lady Jenner created the Arts and Crafts garden of separate garden rooms, with topiary and herbaceous borders.

Sir Walter left the property to the National Trust in 1932 to keep the house and its contents together. The main rooms in the old part of the house are still furnished as they were in the Jenners' time, with pictures, tapestries, furniture, embroidery and unusual objects such as two leather mannequins known as the Good Companions. The west range is let as holiday accommodation, and the estate has three waymarked walks.

Highlights

• Medieval manor house with a chapel completed in 1348
• First edition of Henry Lyte's A Niewe Herball (1578)
• Pair of 1690s Delft tulip pyramids in the Great Hall
• Arts and Crafts garden with topiary and herbaceous borders
• Woodland play trail and three waymarked estate walks

Permanent exhibition

• Manor house interiors – The main rooms of the old house, kept as the Jenner family furnished them, with the Niewe Herball, Delft tulip vases, an embroidered mirror and two leather mannequins.

Operated by

National Trust

Admission & discounts

Prices are for the whole property without Gift Aid; with Gift Aid the adult price is £16.50, child £8.30, family £41.30 and one adult with up to two children £24.80. Entry is free for National Trust members. A group rate of £14.25 per adult and £7.13 per child is listed.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Blue Badge parking and an accessible toilet are available. The ground floor of the house is mostly accessible with assistance, but the garden has uneven and narrow paths and some corridors are narrow. Wheelchairs can be borrowed. Only assistance dogs are allowed in the formal garden, house and tea-room; other dogs are welcome on the wider estate and in the tea-room courtyard.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities
• Playground / play area

A natural play trail on the wooded White Walk has a hammock swing, rope traverse and stepping logs. Seasonal activities include a Halloween trail in late October. Pushchairs are welcome, and small scooters and balance bikes may be used on garden paths.

Getting there & parking

Off the A372, signposted, 1 mile from the A303. The National Trust suggests the what3words address ///villas.evaporate.polished, which leads to the car park. Slinky, a Somerset Council demand-responsive service, serves people who cannot use regular buses or trains.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

A small tea-room with indoor and outdoor seating serves hot and cold drinks and light snacks. The Book Barn, in the old cow sheds, sells second-hand books. There is a picnic area and cycle parking.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit