Last updated on August 23rd, 2023 at 01:36 pm
It couldn’t decide whether to shower or shine, the day we went to Montacute; so it compromised and did a little of both. A tour of the grounds was on offer, which started well enough until rain stopped play. Our party initially huddled together by mutual agreement, near the café, sheltered from the weather; but people drifted away and the expedition was abandoned. That was a pity, because a good guide is often a source of stories behind a place. And, though Montacute is undeniably beautiful, it seemed a little lacking in personality to me; a few juicy tales might have made it come more alive. As it is, I judge Montacute to be a gentle, effortless, place to visit, its three main claims to fame apparently being its long gallery (the longest in England), the portraits displayed in this from the National Portrait Gallery and the fact that it assumed the role of Greenwich Palace in the TV drama Wolf Hall.
It’s a classic Elizabethan mansion, is Montacute, built in the shape of a symmetrical ‘E’ using a local limestone, Hamstone, for Sir Edward Phelips in the late 1590s. In the sunshine, the stone glows with a kind of latent warmth, though when the skies cloud over it looks decidedly grey and gloomy. Unsurprisingly, the stonework is worn in places, like a well-lived-in complexion, mottled with lichens or whatever they are. The architecture is fussy, but impressive: to a layman (like me), it seems to have a touch of Dutch and Italian bolted on top of something else. It looks quintessentially Elizabethan anyway. The windows, chimneys and stone figures are just wonderful. The architect is thought to have been a local man, William Arnold.
Sir Edward Phelips was a lawyer (and a member of Middle Temple) and politician who went on to become Speaker of the House and Master of Rolls under James I. He was an ardent Protestant, on the prosecuting team when the Gunpowder Plot was uncovered and died in 1614. The house stayed with the Phelips for more than 300 years and, unusually, this family did not tinker over-much with their property, so it has survived virtually unaltered. The most significant change was the rebuilding of the west front in the late 18th century, sensitively using Tudor stonework and carvings from a nearby house, Clifton Maybank, which was in the process of being demolished. The original east front entrance then became the back door.
Inside, Montacute is a mixture of décor, from Tudor to Regency with a bit of early 20th century thrown in for good measure. The Great Hall has an imposing stone screen which, though certainly a work of art, struck me as being out of place and, therefore, inelegant. My favourite room was the library, full of welcoming warm light.
The long gallery, all 172 feet of it, spans the entire top, second, floor of the house. Light streams in through windows that run along its entire length on the eastern side, and through exquisite oriel windows at either end. Long galleries were features of Tudor – and later – houses and were used for entertainment and exercise. Apparently, the Phelips children used to ride ponies in this one. I bet they enjoyed themselves so much they got a little hoarse. And it’s here that the National Portrait Gallery displays an intriguing collection of contemporary portraits, the celebrity photographs of their day.
I enjoy looking at portraits; though gazing into the eyes of other astonishing people can be a little unnerving. James I looked a little rough, I thought, as though he was recovering from a messy session of one sort or another; too many pints of heavy, maybe. Elizabeth I looked haughty, regal – and a trifle scary, rather like a strict, self-opinionated, aunt who really has a heart of gold. Henry VIII, I decided, was a nasty piece of work; he had mean piggy-eyes and a petulant, cruel, little mouth. These people were game-changers; where would we be today without them? I swear Catherine Parr gave me a saucy look as I left the room, the little minx.
Montacute House sits in about 300 acres, of which a small fraction has been turned over to formal gardens. The massive yew hedges are trimmed in a unique, undulating style, like irregular breaking waves. The formal border around what was originally the entrance court on the east side was a riot of colour in August, which my inadequate photography has failed to capture. There’s an impressive fountain too. But you wouldn’t visit Montacute just for its gardens. Once, there would have been a large kitchen garden, glasshouses and a further courtyard beyond the east entrance.
The heirs to Montacute were local Somerset gentry, members of Parliament, soldiers, who generally cared for the place down the years. The rot set in with 19th century William Phelips, ‘the Gambling Squire’, who would bet on virtually anything and consequently squandered away the family wealth. By 1911, the Phelips were forced to leave Montacute, never to return, letting the house out to various tenants.
One notable occupier was George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, Conservative politician. Curzon had a turbulent affair with romantic novelist Elinor Glyn (1864-1943) and installed her at Montacute for 18 months to oversee its redecoration. After a notable scene on a dead tiger in one of her novels, the following rhyming couplet became popular:
Would you like to sin with Elinor Glyn on a tiger skin?
Or would you prefer to err with her on some other fur?
Ah – a juicy tale at last! George, however, turned out to be something of a cad in this instance. Elinor discovered, when reading her morning newspaper, that he was going to marry someone else; she promptly abandoned Montacute House to write scripts in Hollywood and I assume left George to finish off the wallpapering.
Finally, in 1931 the house was sold; it opened to the public the following year. During the Second World War, it was requisitioned by the army and US servicemen camped in the grounds immediately prior to the Normandy invasion.
Montacute House is a fine, undemanding, place to visit. Its use as Greenwich Palace in Wolf Hall will have done its visitor figures no harm – though it has been used as a location in other productions too. The writer Julian Fellowes, creator of Downton Abbey, set part of his novel Belgravia (published in 2016) at Montacute House.
Don’t forget to explore the village, if you get the chance, where many of the humbler buildings have been constructed from the same Hamstone as the mansion. The 18th century Phelips Arms looks worth a visit too.
What a marvelous structure! The photos are wonderful. And you managed to dig up a bit of juicy tidbit after all. I wish you hadn’t told us about the house being built in the shape of E for Elizabeth. Really? or did I misunderstand that? I lost a few minutes going through the rest of the alphabet to see what the various possibilities might have been had she been christened anything else. That gallery! Can you imagine being a kid and riding ponies there! I was thinking even roller skates would have been fun (and not quite so messy). A very interesting post, Mike, and of course I’d love to visit there someday. You really didn’t try out Phelips Arms?
I really didn’t, CM; we were on a mission to visit somewhere else! It was tempting, though.
I just finished watching Lucy Worsley’s “Six Wives” on the telly (yes we get everything late here in Canada), and you are right, Henry was a piggy eyed nasty, wasn’t he? I’d love to visit this gorgeous house. BTW you didn’t mention that it is in Somerset.
Yet we could discuss whether the Reformation was a good thing…whether the pain has been beneficial. More gorgeous houses to come, I hope. The post is tagged ‘Somerset’ and full address details, website etc are listed with its entry in the attraction directory. Every place featured in the website has an entry there – trying to add more to this every week, a project without end!
I love reading your posts…. makes me homesick for my homeland!!!
Thank you!!
It looks like a really interesting place to visit. You have captured some beautiful skies in your photographs 🙂
What a gorgeous day you had! That is something very special, those skies and the clouds, can you tell it’s been far too grey and gloomy around here! Thanks for sharing this interesting place and the info about it. beautiful photos as well.
Well we did visit Montacute House for its garden, way back on our first trip to England 20 years ago. We did see the house too, a bonus, with some of those portraits. Didn’t know about the ponies though. A highlight for us were those two small pavilions in the back corners of the formal garden on the east side. In the book ‘England’s Historic Gardens’, which I used to help plan that trip, they are described as “among the glories of Renaissance garden architecture”. There’s a great picture of one of those little buildings on p.19 of that book. As always, enjoy your posts!
Such a super house and those portraits are very special.
Lovely post Mike, thank you.
All the best Jan
I love reading your stories about great houses. The detail in the clothing in the art works is amazing.
Ponies in the long galley hall? How did they get them up there? And what’s wrong with riding them outside? Thanks for the tour. Great job as usual.
Montacute isn’t a stately home I’m familiar with at all, so I found this an interesting read. There are so many similar halls and manors all over the country, and sometimes they become ‘much of a muchness’. I think we’ve visited them all in Derbyshire, many times over, but there are a lot ‘down south’ I’d like to see. I love the golden Jurassic limestone of Montacute, and the architecture is beautiful. The length of the long gallery is very impressive, too. As for Henry V111’s portrait, it isn’t the most flattering one of him around, is it? He does look kind of mean – which I suppose he was, over many issues! Great photos, Mr B.
I love the wonderful architectural appearance of Montacute House and its surroundings. But the Long Gallery at the top of the grand stone staircase is magic. It is a great experience to be able to view and admire paintings showing the Royal Family down the ages all at one time.
Hi Mike – thanks for the wonderful photos and information on the house. Loved the stained glass … those look to be well worth seeing. Interesting to know the Long Gallery serves as an outpost of the National Gallery … loved seeing the portraits – Henry VIII is piggy eyed isn’t he … this inspires me to visit – when I go southwest next time … cheers Hilary
Awesome post…
Welcome – and thank you for dropping by!
Thanks for the tour. A beautiful place to visit. I liked the portraits, very colourful.
One of my favorites. We visited because part of Sense and Sensibility was filmed there, and visited it again just because.
I agree with you about the stone screen – well made but in the wrong place. The library is beautiful!
What a beautiful place!
Oh how I would love to tour this place it looks so amazing and those portraits are awesome
I have been to this lovely manor house in 1999. As a matter of fact, it was my first and we promptly bought a heritage pass so we could visit more, loved the portraits.