National Trust - Montacute House

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Montacute House is a masterpiece of Elizabethan Renaissance architecture and design. With its towering walls of glass, glow of ham stone and its surrounding gardens, it is a place of beauty and wonder.

 

Sir Edward Phelips was the visionary force and money behind this masterpiece, which was completed in 1601. Built by skilled craftsman using local ham stone under the instruction of William Arnold, master mason, the house was a statement of wealth, ambition and showmanship.

 

Come face to face with the past in the Long Gallery; measuring over 52 metres, it is the longest of its kind in England.  The Gallery houses over 60 Tudor and Elizabethan portraits on loan from the National Portrait Gallery.  Beautiful gardens surround Montacute, constantly changing, filling the house with scent in summer and providing an atmospheric backdrop for a winter walk.

 

Whether you just want to let the children run and explore, or be inspired by the collections housed within the walls of Montacute, you will leave with lasting memories and a desire to soon return.  You may even recognise some of the sights, as Montacute House featured in the BBC’s highly acclaimed production of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall.

 

Within 20 minutes’ drive you will find four fascinating smaller properties, each with a unique character, history and story to tell. Their combined age of 2,300 years spans from the medieval period to the early 19th century. Explore Stoke Priory, a fine collection of medieval farm buildings; Treasurer's House, with its great hall and unusual wall painting; Stembridge Tower Mill, the last remaining thatched windmill in England; and the Priest’s House, a medieval home of great character not to be missed.

 

While you’re in the area, why not also visit Lytes Cary Manor and Tintinhull Garden (see the National Trust website for more details).