St. Catherine's Court

St Catherine's Court
St Catherine's Court north front.
Location	St Catherine, Somerset, England
Coordinates	Coordinates: 51°25′49″N 2°19′16″W / 51.4304°N 2.3210°W / 51.4304; -2.3210
Built	16th century
Built for	William Blanchard
Listed Building – Grade I
Official name: St. Catherine's Court
Designated	1 February 1956
Reference no.	1232265
Location of St Catherine's Court in Somerset

St Catherine's Court is a manor house in a secluded valley north of Bath, Somerset, England. It is a Grade I listed The gardens are Grade II* listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England.

The original house was a priory grange for the monks of Bath Abbey adjacent to the Church of St Catherine. At the Dissolution of the Monasteries the manor was granted to John Malte and passed down to the courtier John Harington. It was bought in 1591 by John Blanchard and housed his descendants for generations, but fell into disrepair. In the 19th century the house was bought by Colonel Joseph Holden Strutt who renovated it, with the work being continued by his sons. In 1984, actress Jane Seymour bought the house and carried out further renovation. During her ownership the property was used as a recording studio and party venue causing complaints among the neighbours. It has since been further extended and is now hired out as a wedding venue.

The fabric of the building has changed over the centuries with a two-storey porch being added in 1610. Further extensions were added in the early 19th century and the orangery and library being added in the early 20th century. In the 21st century another addition including a swimming pool were added. The house is surrounded by 4 hectares (9.9 acres) of landscaped grounds with terraces joined by flights of steps. The barn within the grounds is from the 13th to 15th centuries.

The manor of St Catherine belonged to Prior Cantlow of Bath Abbey in medieval times. It takes its name from the Church of St Catherine beside the manor house. When the house was not occupied by the monks it was leased. In 1536 the lease was to Thomas Llewellyn who remained as the tenant after the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Henry VIII granted the manor to his tailor, John Malte, in 1546. Part of the condition of the gift was that he adopt the kings illegitimate daughter Ethelreda Malte. Ethelreda inherited the house and married John Harington. After Ethelreda's death in 1551 Harrington married again. His son from this marriage was another John Harington who grew up and became a courtier of Elizabeth I and invented the first flush toilet. He spent most of his time at his principle seat at nearby Kelston and, in 1591, sold St Catherine's Court to John Blanchard. His son William Blanchard, remodelled the house. His initials appear in the plasterwork frieze of a bedroom. The Blanchard family lived at the court for several generations. In 1610 the porch was added and a terraced garden laid out. The house passed by marriage to the Parry family but was not maintained and the fabric of the building was declining by the 18th century, when half of the building was used by a tenant farmer.