Built in c.1550 for William Clifton, a prosperous London merchant, Barrington Court is a typical early-Elizabethan E-plan house built of honey-coloured Ham stone. The original entrance façade to the south consists of two long projecting wings enclosing a forecourt and is topped with a riot of finials and spiral chimneys. Inside, apart from 2 overmantels, one of which depicts the Judgment of Solomon, little original decoration survives. In 1907, neglected and dilapidated, Barrington was the first country house to be acquired by the National Trust, although the Trust was unable to find the funds necessary for its repair. In 1920 it was let to Colonel A.A. Lyle, who restored the house and filled it with his fine collections of oak panelling and other interior fittings.
Barrington Court is presented as an empty Tudor mansion, allowing visitors to experience the “Echoes of History” exhibition. Restoration of the 16th century Barrington Court during the Arts and Crafts Movement has resulted in “The Glory of Somerset” emerging from dereliction with an additional early 20th century feel.
