This small medieval manor house was originally the home of the Lyte family who settled in the area in the 13th century. In the early 16th-century a great hall was added, reached through a 2-storey porch with a fine oriel on the upper floor. There is a ground-floor parlour with a great chamber above, the ceiling of which is decorated with an unusually early example of plasterwork ribs forming a pattern of stars and diamonds. At this time it was the home of the herbalist Henry Lyte, who dedicated his 1578 Niewe Herball to Elizabeth I ‘from my poore house at Lytescarie’. It was later the home of Sir Walter Jenner (son of the famous Victorian physician) who rescued the house after a long period of neglect and decay.
In the intimate manor house of Lytes Cary are oak furniture and fittings dating from the late 17th and early 18th century, mostly installed by the son of the famous Victorian physician Sir Walter Jenner; portraits, including Jenner and his family and 17th century Flemish tapestries. Surrounded by breathtaking South Somerset countryside, and a building which has quietly grown over 600 years, it’s natural to develop an organic taste.
