Fiddleford Manor

Fiddleford Manor (also known as Fiddleford Mill)^[1] is a medieval manor house located near Sturminster Newton, Dorset. It is thought to have been originally built around 1370 for William Latimer, the sheriff of Somerset and Dorset, after the manor passed to him in 1355.^[2] The house is now owned by English Heritage and open for the public to visit throughout the year;^[3] however, there is an adjoining building to the north that continues to serve as a private residence and is not open to the public.^[4]

The present day site—set in a T-shape

Thomas Freke and retained by his descendants, the Pitt-Rivers family; they reduced the length of the hall by 2 metres (6.6 ft), it having previously extended almost to the River Stour, and added a new fireplace and ceiling.^[5] By 1956, however, the 18th-century building had been demolished and the original, 14th-century part was derelict; by 1962, only the northern wing remained habitable, and the original section passed into state ownership.^[5] The house underwent restoration during the 1970s by the Department for the Environment—now the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).^[1]