Fiddleford Manor

Fiddleford is a medieval manor house, completed in about 1370.

It has undergone many changes since, but the splendid timber roofs over the great hall and solar are said to be the most spectacular in Dorset. They reflect the original owner’s rising status and ambition: in the 14th century it was essential for a great man to entertain lavishly, and these rooms represent just the kind of conspicuous expenditure that would be expected of a man of authority and means.

The principal parts of the stone manor house - probably begun about 1370 for William Latimer, Sheriff of Somerset and Dorset - the hall and solar chamber display outstandingly fine timber roofs.

The manor house has no recorded history, but it was probably built for William Latimer, sheriff of Somerset and Dorset. Men like Latimer, as sheriffs and justices, made the king’s government work in the shires – a practical alliance between central authority and local influence.

Latimer had acquired the Fiddleford estate by marrying the daughter of its previous owner, John Maury, in 1355. There must already have been a manor house here or close by, and a mill at Fiddleford is mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086. However, Latimer clearly felt in need of a more up-to-date house to reflect his importance as a royal sheriff.