Thomas Beach (Milton Abbas 1738-1806 Dorchester)

Although traditionally attributed to William Chambers, Howard Colvin notes that Joseph Dixon (d.1787) designed the Georgian wing at Coker Court for William Helyar in 1766 (H. Colvin, A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600-1840, New Haven and London, 1995, p. 306). Coker Court has its origins in the Middle Ages and remained in the Courtenay family until 1591 and changed hands three times in the following 25 years, the last being to Achdeacon Helyar in 1616, with whose descendants it remained.