Barstow Towers

Mulberry House, originally owned by the Duke of Somerset, is a beautiful old house in Witham Friary, The village is in a valley surrounded by gentle hills and forests. The Longleat estate adjoins the Duke of Somerset’s land - all of which is accessible to the walker. Longleat Stourhead,Wookey Hole and Cheddar Gorge are within 30 minutes drive, and the cities of Bath, Wells, Bristol and Salisbury are only approximately 45 minutes away. Mulberry House stands opposite an ancient church,dating from the 12th.Century designed in French style by the French Prior, a Carthusian monk called Hugh of Witham, who later became St. Hugh of Lincoln .The buttresses were copied from St. Hugh’s Cathedral. Even the cottages behind us were inhabited by monks in mediaeval times, and in the nineteenth Century the cottages were used as a silk factory. Perhaps that is where the name of our house has derived from. Rumour has it, that if the monks misbehaved elsewhere, they were banished to Witham Friary Monastery! At the end of the village you can walk up to the fishing lakes. These are where the monks fished to provide food for the first monastery that was commissioned by Henry II in penance for the murder of Archbishop Thomas O’Becket in Canterbury Cathedral. Mulberry House was originally the village shop, and we have come across many who remember it well and always reminisce about the warm welcome and the smell of the home produced local cheddar cheese blending nicely with the freshly baked bread. Breakfasts are home-cooked using local products. We can provide a delicious supper for tired people, but this should be ordered well in advance. The leting rooms overlooking the garden are attractive and well-appointed, cosy and comfortable, with tea and coffee making facilities, TV and WIFI. We have one double-bedded room and one twin-bedded room opposite. There is a well-appointed bathroom, with a power-shower and bath. We are looking forward to your visit.