of Raymond Asquith, 3rd Earl of Oxford and Asquith. The other large house, Park House, within Mells Park, was largely rebuilt by Lutyens in 1923 following the destruction of the original 18th century Park House by fire in 1917; Pevsner calls attention to its ashlar masonry, Doric pilasters, and hipped roof. The Talbot Inn, a former coaching inn, dates from the 15th century and is Grade II* listed. It was voted Sunday Times Hotel of the Year in 2013. The stone village lock-up was built in the 17th century. The Mells Post Office and Shop was refurbished and reopened in 2009 as a community social enterprise, following the retirement of the postmaster the previous year. The attached Mells Café was opened in 2011 by The Great British Bake Off star Mary Berry. The Walled Garden, part of a former monastery, is now a cafe, shop and plant nursery. Mells Church of England First School, on the edge of the village green, was established in the mid-nineteenth century. It serves Mells and nearby villages and had 71 children on the roll in 2016. Mells Nursery School provides full day care for children from two years old to school age in a dedicated building which has been constructed adjacent to the school. Mells holds on Easter Mondays a popular and traditional event called Mells Daffodil Festival. Mells Manor was purportedly procured by Jack Horner upon discovering the deed in a pie given to him to carry to London by Richard Whiting, the last Abbot of Glastonbury. This act is referenced in the popular nursery rhyme "Little Jack Horner". An alternative explanation is that the manor was bought in 1543. After successive generations Thomas Strangways Horner moved out of the manor house in the village and commissioned Nathaniel Ireson to build the original Park House within Mells Park. Governance The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council's operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning.