Enmore

Today, Enmore is tiny, just a few separate clusters of buildings, and very quiet.

  • A view of Enmore village, looking over newly ploughed fields of rich red soil...

But there are puzzling things about Enmore village.
Some of the house names tell us that it was once a much busier place.

Can you work out who used to live here?

  • Wheelwright’s cottage

Can you read what this house is called?

  • The Old Malthouse
  • Old Bakehouse.

The name of the village pub tells a story too.

  • The Tynte Arms

There are some more puzzling house-names: ‘Park Gate Cottage’, ‘Coach House’ and ‘Lakeside’

  • Coach House

The next puzzle is that Enmore has three places called ‘Castle’, but none of them is a real castle.

This building is called Castle House. It looks a bit like a castle.

  • Castle House

This building is called Enmore Castle. It looks more like a grand house.

  • Enmore Castle

The third ‘Castle’ is really a very old farm.

  • Castle Farm

The explanation is to do with two families the Malets and the Egmonts.

  • Malet family plaque

Here some more odd things…

…a village school not in the village

John Poole thought that all children should be able to go to school, even if they were poor. So he opened a Free School in 1810 for the children of Enmore.

  • Enmore School

… and six School Cottages nowhere near the school!

  • Enmore cottages

John Poole’s cousin, Thomas Poole, built a similar school at Nether Stowey. These two Quantock schools proved that free education for local children in local schools was a good idea, and eventually there were free primary schools for all children in England.