English Heritage sites near High Ham Parish
MUCHELNEY ABBEY
3 miles from High Ham Parish
Once a wealthy Benedictine house, Muchelney’s main buildings were demolished by Henry VIII in 1538. See the richly decorated cloister walk and thatched monks’ lavatory – the only one in Britain.
GLASTONBURY TRIBUNAL
7 miles from High Ham Parish
Fine, late 15th century stone townhouse, early Tudor façade and panelled interiors. Home to Glastonbury Lake Village Museum: discover life 2000 years ago when much of Somerset consisted of marshy sea.
MEARE FISH HOUSE
8 miles from High Ham Parish
The only surviving monastic fishery building in England, this housed the Abbot of Glastonbury's water bailiff and provided facilities for fish-salting and drying.
SHERBORNE OLD CASTLE
16 miles from High Ham Parish
Built on a grand scale in the 12th century by the Bishop of Salisbury, Sherborne was coveted by churchmen and noblemen alike giving it a long, chequered history. Picnic, shop, light refreshments.
NUNNEY CASTLE
22 miles from High Ham Parish
Picturesque moated castle built in the 1370s. Held for the King during the Civil War, falling to Parliamentarian cannon in 1645: the gun-damaged wall finally collapsing on Christmas Day 1910.
STANTON DREW CIRCLES AND COVE
23 miles from High Ham Parish
Although this is the third largest complex of prehistoric standing stones in England, the three circles and three-stone ‘cove’ of Stanton Drew in Somerset are surprisingly little known. The Great Circle, 113 metres in diameter, is one of the largest stone circles in the country and has 26 surviving upright stones. Yet recent surveys have revealed that the circles and cove were just part of a much more elaborate and important ritual site than had previously been imagined.
Churches in High Ham Parish
St Andrew's, High Ham
The Green
High Ham
Langport
01458 252237
St Andrew: Grade 1. “The church faces broadside on a pretty village green, not a common thing in Somerset” (Pevsner). The building is all 15th century or earlier.
The parish church is situated centrally, adjacent to the village green. It is built mainly of lias stone, and is mostly 15th century, but some parts could be earlier. The tower was restored this century. The bells have been overhauled recently and are in particularly good order.
Low Ham: Grade 1. “…the church was begun shortly before 1623 and consecrated in 1669. It is one of the most instructive cases of early Gothicism in England” (Pevsner).
Pubs in High Ham Parish
Jim's Cider Shack
Woodpecker Lodge, Aller, Bere, TA10 0QX
(01458) 250166
berecidercompany.com