Lost Heritage

Location		Crewkerne
Year demolished		1960s
Reason		Too large
See all images:		Gallery
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Acknowledgement: images and information kindly provided by N. Josling:

The house was 'L'-shaped and what remains today consists of the (lowered) tower and section to the right and single rooms width to the left.

>"Not a lost house entirely as half is still standing and occupied. Built by the Husseys on a greenfield site, the house was completed c.1903. Again, a medium-sized house with 25 servants at the time, it was designed by a local architect called Benson. The house must have appeared very modern for rural Somerset in 1903 as it has flat roofs, an integral tall tower containing water tanks with views up to 45 miles distant, several bathrooms, 9 indoor WCs, electric lights, telephone (Crewkerne 5) etc. Occupied by the Army during WW2, it didn't suffer too badly but by the early 1960's it was thought too unwieldy. Often in this situation it is the servants' wing that goes, but the best half went instead together with many features such as the tower which was reduced - although with 9 beds remaining its still a fairly sizable house. The house is approached along a 1/4 mile drive with 2 lodges, one of which is placed strangely halfway along the drive. The last Mrs Hussey sold up Maincombe in 1987 (although retaining some 2000 acres) having lived alone for some years. She told me at the time that the flat roofs had never leaked once. Recent owners have, unhappily, fitted a new standard roof using modern slate."

Acknowledgement: thank you to James McClintock for his further recollections about Maincombe House:

"As the subsequent resident of Maincombe house, post Mrs Hussey's ownership I think it is important to correct the narrative about Maincombe.

My parents purchased the house from Mrs Hussey and we moved in when I was about 12 - I can confirm that the claim about the flat roof was incorrect - it leaked like a sieve. We purchased the house in quite a state and even after a complete replacement of the flat roof it still leaked badly. The original design of the house was lost when the Husseys decided to knock half of it down, with the originality of the house lost, the leaking roof and the complete absence of insulation it made sense to preserve the remaining structure by protecting it with the slate roof."