Cricket St. Thomas Estate by Alastair Purcell
I chose this landscape because it is ‘Close to home’. South Somerset is not exactly a ‘Mecca’ for landscape photographers; most of Somerset is fairly typical of rural England. I suppose the only exception would be when the Levels are flooded, which was not the case in the duration of this project.
Cricket St. Thomas is listed in the Domesday Book of 1086. Ownership has passed through several families, one of which was the Hood family. The house in the photo, Cricket House, was built in 1786. Alexander Hood, 3rd Baron of Bridport, sold it to the Fry chocolate family 1918. During
the 1967 to 2009 period it was home to a wild life park, but the animals were then all moved on to other zoos in the UK. It later became a television location for the series ‘To the Manor born’, and also figured in Noel Edmonds’ programme ‘Noel’s House Party’ about Crinkley Bottom and Mr. Blobby. The estate is now owned by the Warner Leisure Group who have converted its main purpose into a hotel, for which a number of new buildings have been erected. The house itself now serves as a reception and cafe.
The estate contains a wide variety of fairly exotic plants and trees, which were probably planted during the 19th century, and some man-made lakes. The estate includes the parish Church of St.Thomas, which, although completely rebuilt in 1819-20, dates back to Saxon times.
1 Cricket St. Thomas Estate, March By Alastair Purcell
2 Cricket St. Thomas Estate, June By Alastair Purcell
3 Cricket St. Thomas Estate, July By Alastair Purcell
4 Cricket St. Thomas Estate, September By Alastair Purcell
5 Cricket St. Thomas Estate, October By Alastair Purcell
6 Cricket St. Thomas Estate, January By Alastair Purcell
All images © Alastair Purcell