Whitestaunton Manor

Whitestaunton Manor is a manor house dating from the 15th century, which was significantly enlarged in the late 16th century and again in the early 17th century. The porch was added during this time, and wings on the south front were linked in the 19th century to form a central courtyard. The building is constructed of random rubble Whitestaunton limestone, with squared and coursed chert on the north-west gable, and features slate roofs with coped verges and a large external stack to the left of the porch.

The plan consists of an open hall house facing north with a lateral stack, extended by a cross wing at the west end. The porch is located at the angle on the north front, and the service end has been extended south, with two wings added to the south front that were later joined. The north front has two storeys plus an attic and an irregular six-bay frontage with varied window arrangements. The gable ends are in the second bay from the left and the first bay from the right. The first floor features a two-light casement window on the left, a single light in the gable end, and a three-light window with a Tudor arch head below. There is a three-light mullioned and transomed window to the left of the large lateral stack, and a crenellated two-storey porch with a two-light window on the first floor. The cross wing on the right has a five-light mullioned and transomed window above and a similar one below. The porch has a Tudor arch head opening with a coat of arms above, and there are two-light inglenook windows in the stack and to the left, along with a blocked opening to a former through passage on the left. A buttress and a three-light window are located to the right.

The west front is symmetrical with a 1:2:1 bay arrangement, featuring large lateral stacks flanking the center and gabled dormers, all with three-light mullioned and transomed windows. The interior boasts many notable features, including a handsome three-bay arch braced collar roof with intermediate trusses and three tiers of cusped wind braces. The late 16th-century panelled rooms on the west front have plasterwork ceilings and cornices dated 1577. A splendid carved stone chimney piece with supporters on paired pilaster columns flanks a central decorative panel, and there is a good early 17th-century staircase, making for a very fine interior.