Beryl
Country House
THE MAIN HALL
The Main Hall is the heart of the house. Its beautiful decoration and antiques set the tone and always offer a warm welcome.
THE DRAWING ROOM
The Drawing Room takes you back to the grand days of English Country House living, with elegant proportions, Georgian furniture and Chinese Porcelain.
Relax in the window seats looking out over the main lawns and lose yourself in history.
THE TEA ROOM
Enjoy complimentary tea or coffee and home-made cake every afternoon in the Tea Room, being watched over by the collection of bronze, ceramic and marble lions.
THE GREEN ROOM
The Green Room is the perfect place to settle down by the fire and enjoy a drink and nibbles with a book or magazine and perhaps play a game of cards or chess.
THE BREAKFAST ROOM
The Breakfast Room is light and airy with large windows overlooking the grounds. Enjoy a wonderful breakfast in luxury surrounded by our Cantonese enamel collection.
BERYL HISTORY
In 1838 local lawyer Edmund Davies commissioned architect Benjamin Ferrey, a pupil of Edwin Pugin, to design and undertake the building of a Gothic Revival style mansion as a family home for himself and his wife Mary-Ann.
Beryl derives its name from the land it was built on. Wells Cathedral manuscripts from the 14th century show that the land was referred to as Beryl, or Berihale, after Sir Richard Berihale who owned the land in the reign of Edward III.
Pugin's style, as seen in the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, is reflected in the Main Hall’s fine wood carving and panelling, tiled flooring and wallpaper.
In 1892 Edward Moore, the 6th Earl Mount Cashell, on his retirement as a lawyer in London, purchased Beryl and its 79 acre estate. He used it as his main residence and as a hunting lodge, entertaining local dignitaries such as the Bishop of Bath and Wells. His death, in 1915 aged 85, marked the end of the Mount Cashell title. We have named one of our rooms 'Cashell' in his honour.
In 1916 the Jenkins family acquired Beryl. They raised 9 children here, but times were hard and to survive they were forced to sell off much of the land until just 13.5 acres remained.
In 1979, the surviving Jenkins put Beryl up for auction, and the Nowell family bought it with no time for a survey! The house had not been decorated for 30 years and the gardens, once so immaculate, were deeply hidden beneath a thick blanket of weeds and brambles.
We opened our doors to guests in 1982 to help us keep the ongoing projects afloat, starting with just 2 rooms. Decades later the refurbishment continues!
Our love and passion for Beryl keeps growing.
