, 1768) The estate originally formed part of the property of
Syon Abbey, and passed through various hands after the
Dissolution in the 1530s. The present house and park are thought to have been built in 1770 by John and Grace Newman, whose relations owned neighbouring
Newton Surmaville. The house was set in pleasure grounds containing a lake and grotto, while the surrounding parkland was ornamented with a
Gothic lodge and a group of four
follies. In the early 19th century the estate passed to Thomas Messiter, a barrister, who was John Newman's nephew and in 1830 the mansion was remodelled in a
Jacobean Revival style. An
orangery was constructed adjoining the north side at the same period. During the early 20th century the estate was let to various persons. During
World War II, it was the location of a
prisoner of war camp, initially housing
Italian prisoners from the
Western Desert Campaign, and later German prisoners after the
Battle of Normandy. Following derequisition of the property, after the war, the Messiter family carried out considerable modernisation and repairs and took up residence. At some point following this the property became a school known as Broadhembury College and remained so up until the end of the 1960s when the school changed hands. From the early 1970s through to the mid 1980s the mansion and surrounding grounds were let to Pagems Schools Ltd and Headmaster Major Arthur Gray for use as a privately run boarding school attracting boys from London, Liverpool, Bristol, Swansea and several other areas around the country. During this time further modifications took place that included a new classroom block, swimming pool and gymnasium. The school was also part of the Sea Cadet Corps, known as T.S. Gryphon with affiliations to HMS Hampshire (D06)|H.M.S. Hampshire and nearby RNAS Yeovilton H.M.S. Heron. The school closed around 1986/87 due to bankruptcy. In the 1990s the estate was sold to a private owner, and substantial repairs were carried out to the house, orangery and landscape structures. The site remains in private ownership.
Barwick Park follies Barwick Park boasts four follies. Locals say they were built to give the estate labourers work during a time of depression in the 1820s. They were possibly commissioned by George Messiter of Barwick to mark the park boundaries at the four cardinal points: Jack the Treacle Eater (a stone arch topped by a round tower) to the east, the Fish Tower in the north, Messiter's Cone (also known as the Rose Tower), which is high, at the west end and the Needle to the south. However, paintings of Barwick House in the 1780s, forty years before the 1820s depression, include two of the follies. The follies collectively ranked fourth on
Countryfile's 2009 list of "Britain's top 10 follies". ==Transport==