“Sir Thomas called at the Parsonage and we looked at the new cottages.” Wrote the Revd. Stephenson in his diary of 9th August 1828. It is the first of several entries which show the interest that Sir Thomas Acland personally took in the small group of thatched cottage that he was renovating, extending and building at Selworthy Green, to house pensioners on his Holnicote Estate in West Somerset.
That same tiny village has continued as a focus of attention for over 150 years. Visitors still marvel at its idyllic beauty and tenants still enjoy living in the delightful limewashed cottages whose pretty gardens give way to views across the Green, the picturesque Vale of Porlock and the distant splendour of Dunkery Beacon.
The Acland family took possession of the Holnicote Estate (pronounced “Hunnicut”) when the seventh baronet, Sir Thomas, married Elizabeth Dyke in 1745. The 10th Baronet, Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, inherited additional manors to complete the 12,000-acre estate and his descendant, Sir Richard Acland the 15th Baronet, presented it to the National Trust in 1944.
That Sir Thomas should have taken such an interest in his model village at Selworthy Green is perhaps not surprising, because his estate was – and remains – a place of great beauty. Set in what is now the Exmoor National Park, Holnicote comprises several distinct landscapes, including the Vale of Porlock, rugged coastline with cliffs that fall steeply to the Bristol Channel below, ancient woodlands of international importance, and the highest land on Exmoor.
Until Selworthy Green was created in 1828 there were three small farms on what is now the Green. The Postman’s Cottage, Westbourne and Bow Cottages were two of these original mediaeval farmhouses, with Periwinkle being the third, built in the 17th Century. It was thought that the cottages were all built in 1828, but the structures predate this extensively, their refurbishment and modifications created the rustic style popular at that time.
Selworthy Green was now created by its generous landowner as retirement cottages for loyal retainers on the estate. Sir Thomas removed all the farm buildings, paddocks and yards, created the green and improved the living conditions for the tenants by adding lean-to extensions and outside toilets.
The Holnicote Estate encompasses the villages of Selworthy, Allerford, Bossington and Luccombe and there are many walks marked. One of the most popular is from Bossington Car Park to Selworthy Green, then back over the Beacon. Spectacular views, woodlands and the coast.