Highdale Avenue, Clevedon, BS21

A wonderful example of Clevedon's rich history, Highdale Farm West is the third oldest building in the seaside town of Clevedon, after Clevedon Court and St Andrews Church. Despite flourishing as a Victorian seaside resort town, Clevedon's existence can be dated back to the Domesday Book, and Highdale's first mention can be found in 1317, though the building is certainly older. The site was the functional hub in the town's early days, with the first Bath stone farm building housing agricultural workers and tools to tend the fields stretching out below the hill immediately behind the house. The importance of the site is exemplified in the construction of a chantry in the 14th Century, a small chapel for regular religious services which also gives its namesake to the nearby St Nicholas Chantry School. Highdale's continued relevance to the towns agricultural and ecclesiastical life is recorded well into the 19th Century, at one point even housing the MP for Bristol, John Knight in 1730. However, Highdale's centrality to Clevedon's heritage has been best immortalised by the paintings of Doris Hatt, a distinguished local painter whose works of art including Highdale are proudly reproduced in a permanent display of Clevedon Queens Square.