From The West Wiltshire District Guide 1978:
Beyond the Deverill Valley the road climbs over the downs to descend into the old town of Mere, a place largely built of stone from the nearby quarries. The parish church possesses a splendid Perpendicular tower that is typical of the great towers of nearby Somerset. Among Mere’s old houses the most notable is The Ship, an inn formed out of the 17th century mansion of Sir John Coventry. At The George, also in the town centre, Charles the Second stayed on his first flight from the Battle of Worcester, whilst at the Tudor-built Chantry House, William Barnes, the Dorset dialect poet, kept a school.