Montacute House, situated in the
South SomersetSouth Somerset is a local government district in Somerset, England.The South Somerset district covers and area of ranging from the borders with Devon and Dorset to the edge of the Somerset Levels. It has a population of approximately 158,000...
villageA village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a town or city. Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New York City and the Saifi Village in...
of
MontacuteMontacute is a small village and civil parish in Somerset, England, west of Yeovil. The village has a population of 680 . The name Montacute is thought by some to derive from the Latin "Mons Acutus", referring to the small but still quite acute hill dominating the village to the west.The village...
, is described by its owners, the
National TrustThe National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
, as "one of the glories of late
Elizabethan architectureElizabethan architecture is the term given to early Renaissance architecture in England, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Historically, the period corresponds to the Cinquecento in Italy, the Early Renaissance in France, and the Plateresque style in Spain.Stylistically, it followed Tudor...
", and has been designated by
English HeritageEnglish Heritage . is a non-departmental public body of the United Kingdom government with a broad remit of managing the historic built environment of England. It is currently sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a grade I
listed building. It was visited by 111,070 people in 2007.
The three floored
mansionA mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. realtors define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
, constructed of local Ham Hill stone, was built circa 1598 by
Sir Edward PhelipsSir Edward Phelips was the Speaker of the English House of Commons from 1604 until 1611, and subsequently Master of the Rolls from 1611 until his death in 1614. He was an elected MP from 1584, and in 1588, following a successful career as a lawyer, he commissioned Montacute House to be built as a...
,
Master of the RollsThe Keeper or Master of the Rolls and Records of the Chancery of England, known as the Master of the Rolls, is the third most senior judge in England and Wales, after the President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and the Lord Chief Justice...
to Queen
Elizabeth IElizabeth I was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called the Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
.
Montacute House, situated in the
South SomersetSouth Somerset is a local government district in Somerset, England.The South Somerset district covers and area of ranging from the borders with Devon and Dorset to the edge of the Somerset Levels. It has a population of approximately 158,000...
villageA village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a town or city. Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New York City and the Saifi Village in...
of
MontacuteMontacute is a small village and civil parish in Somerset, England, west of Yeovil. The village has a population of 680 . The name Montacute is thought by some to derive from the Latin "Mons Acutus", referring to the small but still quite acute hill dominating the village to the west.The village...
, is described by its owners, the
National TrustThe National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
, as "one of the glories of late
Elizabethan architectureElizabethan architecture is the term given to early Renaissance architecture in England, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Historically, the period corresponds to the Cinquecento in Italy, the Early Renaissance in France, and the Plateresque style in Spain.Stylistically, it followed Tudor...
", and has been designated by
English HeritageEnglish Heritage . is a non-departmental public body of the United Kingdom government with a broad remit of managing the historic built environment of England. It is currently sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a grade I
listed building. It was visited by 111,070 people in 2007.
The three floored
mansionA mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. realtors define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
, constructed of local Ham Hill stone, was built circa 1598 by
Sir Edward PhelipsSir Edward Phelips was the Speaker of the English House of Commons from 1604 until 1611, and subsequently Master of the Rolls from 1611 until his death in 1614. He was an elected MP from 1584, and in 1588, following a successful career as a lawyer, he commissioned Montacute House to be built as a...
,
Master of the RollsThe Keeper or Master of the Rolls and Records of the Chancery of England, known as the Master of the Rolls, is the third most senior judge in England and Wales, after the President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and the Lord Chief Justice...
to Queen
Elizabeth IElizabeth I was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called the Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
. Some suggest
architectAn architect is trained and licensed in planning and designing buildings, and participates in supervising the construction of a building. Etymologically, architect derives from the Latin architectus, itself derived from the Greek arkhitekton , i.e. chief builder...
William ArnoldWilliam Arnold was an important master mason in Somerset, England.Little is known about him, but he is known to have been living in Charlton Musgrove near Wincanton in 1595 where he was church warden. His first known commission was for the design of Montacute House in c1598...
is responsible for the design, though it has yet to be substantiated. The house is distinguished by
Dutch gableA Dutch gable or Flemish gable is a gable whose sides have a shape made up of one or more curves and has a pediment at the top. The gable may be an entirely decorative projection above a flat section of roof line, or may be the termination of a roof, like a normal gable...
s decorated with stone
monkeyA monkey is any cercopithecoid or platyrrhine primate. All primates that are not prosimians or apes are monkeys. The 264 known extant monkey species represent two of the three groupings of simian primates...
s and other creatures. The many large,
mullionA mullion is a structural element which divides adjacent window units.Mullions may be made of any material, but wood and aluminum are most common, although stone is also used between windows. Mullions are vertical elements and are often confused with transoms, which lie horizontally...
ed windows, an innovation of their day, give the appearance that the principal façade is built entirely of glass; a similar
fenestrationThe word fenestration finds its root in the Latin word for window, fenestra.Architecture* Products that fill openings in a building envelope, such as windows, doors, skylights, curtain walls, etc., designed to permit the passage of air, light, vehicles, or people...
was employed at
Hardwick HallHardwick Hall in, Derbyshire, is one of the most significant Elizabethan country houses in England. In common with its architect Robert Smythson's other works at both Longleat House and Wollaton Hall, Hardwick Hall is one of the earliest examples of the English interpretation of the Renaissance...
in
DerbyshireDerbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains...
. On the top floor, the windows of the gallery are interspaced by statues of the
Nine WorthiesThe Nine Worthies are nine historical, scriptural, mythological or semi-legendary figures who, in the Middle Ages, were believed to personify the ideals of chivalry...
dressed in
RomanAncient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea, it became one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
costume. Inside, two broad stone staircases give access to each floor; during wet weather, the Phelips children would lead their ponies up these stairs to ride in the long gallery.
The house, like many
ElizabethanElizabethan architecture is the term given to early Renaissance architecture in England, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Historically, the period corresponds to the Cinquecento in Italy, the Early Renaissance in France, and the Plateresque style in Spain.Stylistically, it followed Tudor...
mansionA mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. realtors define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
s, is built in an 'E' shape. On the ground floor was the
great hallA great hall was the main room of a royal palace, nobleman's castle or a large manor house in the Middle Ages, and in the country houses of the 16th and early 17th centuries. At that time the word great simply meant big, and had not acquired its modern connotations of excellence...
,
kitchenA kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation.In the West, a modern kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a refrigerator and kitchen cabinets. Many households have a microwave oven, a dishwasher and other electric appliances...
s and pantries, on the upper floors, retiring rooms for the
familyFamily denotes a group of people or animals affiliated by a consanguinity, affinity or co-residence...
and honoured guests. Over the centuries, the layout and use of rooms changed: Elegant drawing and dining rooms evolved on the ground floor, on the first floor, a magnificent panelled
libraryA library is a collection of sources, resources, and services, and the structure in which it is housed; it is organized for use and maintained by a public body, an institution, or a private individual. In the more traditional sense, a library is a collection of books. It can mean the collection,...
and bed rooms, including Lord Curzon's secret bath concealed in a wardrobe.
As in all houses of the
Elizabethan eraThe Elizabethan era was associated with Queen Elizabeth I's reign and is often considered to be the golden age in English history. It was the height of the English Renaissance and saw the flowering of English poetry, music and literature...
, it had no corridors; the rooms led directly from one to another. This changed in the late 18th century when a façade from a nearby mansion at
Clifton MaybankClifton Maybank is a hamlet in west Dorset, England. In 1546 a large house was built on the south side of Yeovil for Sir John Horsey, which became the manor of Clifton Maybank ; much of this was dismantled in 1786 - some of the building being transferred to Montacute House - and today just one part...
(which was being partly demolished) was used in a renovation of Montacute, thus providing the much needed corridor. Now, with the new frontage in place, the house was virtually turned around: The 'Clifton-Maybank' façade becoming the front entrance of the house, and the impressive former front elevation now overlooking a grass
lawnA lawn is an area of recreational or amenity land planted with grass, and sometimes clover and other plants, which are maintained at a low, even height....
surrounded by
flowerA flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds...
borders, rather than the original entrance
courtyardFor alternative meanings of the word "court", see: Court .A court or courtyard is an enclosed area, often a space enclosed by a building that is open to the sky...
. The small
pavilionIn architecture a pavilion has two main meanings.-Free-standing structure:Pavilion may refer to a free-standing structure sited a short distance from a main residence, whose architecture makes it an object of pleasure. Large or small, there is usually a connection with relaxation and pleasure in...
s that flanked the demolished gatehouse still remain, resembling twin summer-houses with their
ogeeAn ogee is a curve, shaped somewhat like an S, consisting of two arcs that curve in opposite senses, so that the ends are parallel...
shaped roofs.
Perhaps the most notable feature of the house is the long third floor
long galleryLong gallery is an architectural term given to a long, narrow room, often with a high ceiling. In British architecture, long galleries were popular in Elizabethan and Jacobean houses. They were often located on the upper floor of the great houses of the time, and stretched across the entire...
, spanning the entire top floor of the house. Originally used as an area for indoor exercise during inclement weather, today, it is used by the National Portrait Gallery to display part of their collection.
Living in the Montacute area since at least 1480, the Phelipses continued to reside in the mansion until the early 20th century, when the family fortune finally ran out. In 1915, the house was first let to George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, then to the Enos family, Americans famous for their pharmaceutical products. Finally in 1929, the house was sold to philanthropist Ernest Cook who presented it to the
Society for the Protection of Ancient BuildingsThe Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings was founded by William Morris and Philip Webb in 1877, to oppose what they saw as the insensitive renovation of ancient buildings then occurring in Victorian England.Morris was particularly concerned about the practice, which he described as...
, and from that Society, it passed to the
National TrustThe National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
. It was one of the Trust's first great houses.
The name "Montacute" is presumed to be derived from the
LatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Roman conquest, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe...
"Mons Acutus", referring to the small but still quite acute
hillA hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain, in a limited area. Hills often have a distinct summit, although in areas with scarp/dip topography a hill may refer to a particular section of scarp slope without a well-defined summit A hill is a landform that extends above the...
located to the west of the village. The house and village have often featured as locations for films. Several scenes of the 1995
film versionSense and Sensibility is a 1995 British drama film directed by Ang Lee. The screenplay by Emma Thompson is based on the 1811 novel of the same name by Jane Austen.-Plot synopsis:When Mr...
of
Jane AustenJane Austen was an English novelist, whose realism, biting social commentary and use of free indirect speech, have earned her a place as one of the most widely read and most beloved writers in English literature....
's novel
Sense and SensibilitySense and Sensibility is a novel by the English novelist Jane Austen. Published in 1811, it was Austen's first published novel, which she wrote under the pseudonym "A Lady"....
were filmed at Montacute.
External links