Angel Cottage, Stogursey

17th Century, Thatched Cottage in the the heart of historic village

Historic village in Somerset.

Angel Cottage

Angel cottage is a 17th Century,Grade ll listed building packed full of charm. It was built a little before The English Civil War in around 1640. This thatched two story cottage was built on the corner of an ancient crossroads in the village of Stogursey.

From its off street parking bay you cross the courtyard to the back door and step straight into the well equipped kitchen. A living/dining room features an Inglenook fireplace and slate flooring. Here you'll also find some comfortable chairs and sofa as well as the dining table and chairs. Wifi is included for all your devices and a TV with Netflix for a cosy night in. Downstairs also has a modern bathroom with power shower, toilet and hand basin.We do not have bathing facility's at present. Up the winding staircase you will find two separate bedrooms, both with ample storage. The main bedroom has a double bed. The second has a triple bunk ( double on bottom, single on top ) So perfect for adults and children.

The village has a cosy pub, the Greyhound Inn, which serves good food and reasonably priced beer. They also welcome well behaved children with their parents. You'll always get a warm welcome here. With a convenience store and Post Office only a few yards away there's not much more you could want.

Stogursey also boasts an 11th century church, castle ruins and a natural well.

There is plenty of cycling, walking and wildlife in the surrounding countryside. As well as that why not go exploring in the Quantock and Mendip Hills or Exmoor National Park. The beaches of Minehead, Weston-Super-Mare, Kilve and the quaint harbour town of Watchet are all a short drive away. From Watchet you can board a steam train on the longest historic line in the Uk.

Fishing, Golf and Horse Riding are all nearby too.

The cottage also has a Private patio and garden for them purely relaxing hot summer days .......

Historic sites

Within the village, at the bottom of the street, stands the church of St Andrew, built early in the 12th century by William de Falaise, though believed to incorporate earlier features. However, some of this may be due to the workers being English, not Norman; and the fact that in the 1940s Reverend Basil Tucker removed much of the Victorian era work, giving the church its original, sparse yet pleasing shape.

Less than a quarter of a mile to the south are the restored remains of Stogursey Castle.

A priory in the village was built by the Falaise family. To preserve the family's association with Normandy the priory was donated as a cell to the Benedictine Abbey of St Mary at Lonlay. This dwindled over the years and when all alien priories were appropriated by the crown in the 15th century Henry VI presented the endowments of Stogursey to "the College of the Blessed Mary of Eton beside Windsor" (Eton College), which he had founded a few years earlier.

Whats around

A short walk across the road leads down to the ruins of an 11th century castle.You will also pass and an old water mill on the way. St Andrews church in the village also dates from the 11th century. St Andrews Well and ancient cross are also within a minutes walk.

Within a few miles there is a Kilve, a jurassic beach by the East Quantock hills, that’s crammed with fossils. Watchet, a lovely small harbor and Steart Marshes,a beautiful wildlife walk are only a short drive.West Somerset Railway,the longest heritage line in England also operates near by.

Drive a little further and you’ll find Western Super Mare, Cheddar Gorge, Burnham On Sea and Glastonbury which are all less than an hour away.

History

On the beach near Stogursey are the remains of a submerged forest dated to 2500 B.C.

A Romano-British coin hoard was discovered in 1999. It contained 1,097 base silver radiates, the remains of a pottery vessel and 50 copper alloy coins.

It takes its name from the manor of Stoke. Medieval Stoche was in the possession of William de Falaise by 1086, who had recently married Geva, daughter of Serlo de Burci, and widow of Martin "de Wallis". Early in the 12th century, William and Geva's daughter, Emma, was betrothed to William de Courcy, and the couple received the manor of Stoke upon their wedding. The manor was renamed Stoke Courcy, and is now known as Stogursey. Stogursey Castle was probably built in the 12th century.

The best-known member of the family was John de Courcy, who made himself virtual Prince of Ulster after conquering it in 1177. He died about 1219, his descendants (all illegitimate) today being the Baron Kingsale of Ireland.

During the reign of King John of England (1199–1216) it became the property of one of his favourites and closest advisors, Fulke de Breauté of Gascony. Fulke's sister, Avice de Breauté, was mother of Sir Nicholas FitzMartin (c. 1210–82), who, like the de Courcys, was a descendant of Geva de Burci, the wife of William de Falaise, via her son Robert FitzMartin. Said to be tyrannical, Fulke made the castle and village a stronghold and den of robbers; he was eventually expelled in the reign of Henry III, and is said to have died in poverty in Normandy after 1224.

Part of a curtain wall from the castle remains incorporated into a cottage. It is a Grade II* listed building and Scheduled Ancient Monument.

The remains of a Ham stone village cross on the High Street is from the Middle Ages. Approximately 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) of the original shaft is still in the socket stone.]

In the Middle Ages Stogursey was an important place. It became a borough by 1225, and retained that status until at least 1833. Stogursey was part of the hundred of Cannington.

The ancient parish of Stogursey was large. It included the north foreshore of the Steart Peninsula, including Stert Island which broke from the mainland in about 1798. In 1885 Stert Island was transferred to the parish of Huntspill, and in 1933 the north side of the Steart Peninsula was transferred to the parish of Otterhampton.

Wick Barrow, near Stogursey, is associated with pixies. It is said that a ploughman working nearby once mended a pixie's broken peel, and the pixie baked a cake to reward him