Pictures of Montacute House

a Historic Building in the town of Montacute, in the county of Somerset

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About Montacute House

This is one of the most glittering of all the great Elizabethan mansions in England. It is built of glowing honey-coloured Ham Hill stone and has the most amazing windows letting in streams of subtle light, giving the rich interior a light and airy feel.

The house was built for Sir Edward Phelps, who was Speaker of the House of Commons, a wealthy landowner and lawyer. It was completed around 1600. Sir Edward quite possibly engaged the services of a noted young architect, William Arnold, who was also a brilliant master-mason. Arnold's art can be clearly seen in the wonderful decorative windows and tall chimney stacks rising aloft on the Somerset skyline. It can also be seen throughout the exquisite interior.

Only a few changes have been made to Montacute over the centuries. The most important of these has been the addition of the lovely Renaissance porch now on the west front which was brought from Clifton Maybank, and Lord Curzon, during his tenure between 1915 and 1925, made some changes to the interior. However, on the whole, the character of the house remains largely unaltered, with the dominant feature being the Long Gallery. This stretches an impressive 172 feet from one end of the house to the other and, at either end there is a cluster of smaller, more intimate rooms. The Long Gallery is incredible, it is Elizabethan it all its purity, its only enhancement being portraits adorning the walls, these number around one hundred, and most are loaned from the National Portrait Gallery.

One of the most splendid rooms is the Library, this was originally the great chamber and the room where manorial courts would have been held. There is a Portland stone chimneypiece, intricate wood carving in the porch, Elizabethan panelling, and four superb windows.

Wherever you go in this wonderful house, the eye is drawn to ornamental plasterwork, magnificent fireplaces and in the great hall there is a most impressive carved screen. Attractive panelling in some of the rooms dates from the 19th-century when Lord Curzon was in residency.

Interestingly, it is perhaps due to the shortage of money that kept Montacute House much as it is today, with there being little alteration before late in the 18th-century. Another historic factor concerning the house is that it was Sir Edward Phelps - the original owner, who made the opening speech for the prosecution at the trial of Guy Fawks.

By the time the house was put up for sale in 1925 its interiors had been plundered of most of its fine furnishing and lavish decorative pieces. Edward Cook, grandson of Thomas Cook, founder of the travel agent company, generously bought the property and gave it to the National Trust who have depended on gifts and bequests to bring the house back to its golden days.

Visitors to Montacute House can stroll in romantic gardens and grounds, lush with imaginative planting which was mostly the creation of the renowned Vita Sackville-West.

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Recommended attractions near Montacute House

	Ham Hill Country Park (1.5 miles, 2.4 km, direction W) Offering stunning views of the Mendip Hills, the Quantock Hills, and the Dorset Downs, Ham Hill Country Park is a well-known..... Information | Pictures (5) | Hotels
	Tintinhull Garden (1.6 miles, 2.6 km, direction N) Delightful formal garden. Particularly fine azalea garden, fountain garden and kitchen garden... Information | Pictures (1) | Hotels
	Stoke-sub-Hamdon Priory (2.0 miles, 3.3 km, direction W) 14th/15th-century farm buildings, formerly a priests' residence... Information | Hotels
	Yeovil Country Park (3.6 miles, 5.7 km, direction E) This wonderful Green Flag winning park is made up of 4 individual greenspaces which are linked by the cycleway which follows the..... Information | Hotels
	Fleet Air Arm Museum (5.6 miles, 9.0 km, direction NE) The Fleet Air Arm Museum houses Europe's largest Naval aviation collection. Go on-board Concorde and be transported by a..... Information | Pictures (2) | Hotels

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Recommended towns & villages near Montacute House

	Martock (2.7 miles, 4.4 km, direction NW) The interior of Martock's Ham-stone church is perhaps the grandest in all Somerset, the startling effect of the golden stone against the most lavishly decorated of the county's great tie-beam roofs is simply overwhelming... Information | Pictures (11) | Hotels
	Melbury Osmond (7.6 miles, 12.2 km, direction SE) A long, winding lane, flanked by grassy banks covered in fern and wild flowers, leads to the picture postcard village of Melbury Osmond.. Information | Pictures (2) | Hotels
	Sherborne (8.6 miles, 13.9 km, direction E) The softly glowing Ham stone of which most of the town properties are built, lends warmth and atmosphere to what is already a unique and attractive place... Information | Pictures (25) | Hotels
	Minterne Magna (12.7 miles, 20.4 km, direction SE) .. Information | Pictures (8) | Hotels
	Glastonbury (13.6 miles, 21.8 km, direction N) This little town now enjoys world renown for its annual music festival which attracts thousands of visitors from all over the globe. None-the-less, this still remains very much a..... Information | Pictures (72) | Hotels

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Nearby travel help

Yeovil Pen Mill Station	(4.5 miles, 7.3 km, direction E)
Yeovil Junction Station	(4.9 miles, 8.0 km, direction E)
M5 Junction 25	(16.0 miles, 25.7 km, direction W)
M5 Junction 24	(16.1 miles, 26.0 km, direction NW)
Bristol International Airport	(29.9 miles, 48.0 km, direction N)
Exeter Airport	(34.4 miles, 55.4 km, direction SW)
Montacute House to London	(118.6 miles, 190.9 km, direction E)

Accommodation & Hotels near Montacute House

Hotel Name
Halfway House Inn Country Lodge	(2.3 miles, 3.8 km, direction NE)
Ash House Country Hotel	(2.4 miles, 3.9 km, direction NW)
AA The Hollies Hotel	(2.7 miles, 4.4 km, direction W)
Preston Hotel	(2.8 miles, 4.6 km, direction E)
Greystones Court Guest House	(3.3 miles, 5.3 km, direction E)
Manor Hotel	(3.4 miles, 5.5 km, direction E)
Globetrotters Lodge	(3.6 miles, 5.7 km, direction E)
The Alex Lodge	(3.9 miles, 6.2 km, direction E)
Northover Manor Hotel	(3.9 miles, 6.2 km, direction N)
Devonshire Arms	(5.5 miles, 8.8 km, direction N)
All of our hotels are available to book online & with special discounts