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Montacute House

(vero;2025-April-18)

Montacute with its soft coloured stonework, niches, statues and an airy facade lighted by a profusion of large windows is a perfect example of Elizabethan architecture. It was completed in 1601 and built for Sir Edward Phelips, an affluent lawyer turned politician who was Speaker of the House of Commons from 1604 to 1611 and Master of the Rolls from 1611 until his death in 1614. His name came to fame as the prosecutor in the trial of the Gunpowder Plotters. The descendants of Sir Edward were not as influential as their ancestor and led the life of county gentry representing Dorset in the Parliament and enjoying life in Montacute… until one William Phelips (1823-89) gambled away the family fortune. His son William Phelips (1846-1919) struggled to maintain the estate and the family was forced to move out in 1895 when they decided to let the house (one of the tenants happened to be Lord Curzon, ex Viceroy and Governor General of India). The house was eventually put on sale in 1929: contents and furnishings were sold (except the Phelips family portraits) but the house proved hard to sell and remained on the market for two years until it was offered for scrap in 1931. It was finally purchased by the grandson of Thomas Cook, founder of the travel agency, who gave it to the National Trust. It was first opened to the public in 1932 and refurnished with donations and collections from other houses including Tudor and early Stuart paintings on loan from the National Portrait Gallery.

We visited Montacute in March 2025, the entrance fee to the house and the gardens was 14£ for non-members and the car park was free for all. Unfortunately, the upper floors were closed due to the two staircases needing urgent repair so that we missed the upper rooms and much of the furniture and works of art on display in them. Click here for up-to-date visitor information and follow this link to browse the art collection of the house.

Don't miss the second gallery below the first one which shows the interior of the house.

The exterior of the house and the village

The east front was the original entrance to the house. It is a perfect example of Elizabethan architecture with Dutch gables, niches, statues and an airy facade lighted by a profusion of large windows.

East front: two of the nine statues of the Nine Worthies located in niches along the exterior wall of the upper floor. The Nine Worthies are nine historical and legendary men who personify the ideals of chivalry of the Middle Ages; they include three pagans (Hector, Alexander the Great, and Julius Caesar), three Jews (Joshua, David, and Judas Maccabeus), and three Christians (King Arthur, Charlemagne, and Godfrey of Bouillon). They were all sculpted in a Roman attire.

Detail of the east front. Note the silhouette of a stone cat on top of the gable on the right of the picture.

East front: coat of arms of the Phelips family above the original entrance.

East front. The house seen from the entrance to the former forecourt.

The west facade of the house. It was remodelled in 1787 by a later Edward Phelips who ripped an ornamental facade from Clifton Maybank, a local 16th-century house, and pasted it to the west front. This addition meant the layout of the house could be altered in such a way that rooms would be accessed via a corridor instead of through their interconnecting doors. It involved blocking the west windows, so the house lost much of its airy quality on this side.

Detail of the west entrance which became the main entrance after the remodelling of the house.

In the garden: the summer house restored by Lord Curzon.

The south and east facades. The south and north facades are identical and have oriel windows outside their upper floor.

Montacute's garden is famous for its "wibbly wobbly" hedges of yew trees. The hedge got its current aspect after heavy snow falls in the winter of 1947. The snow was so heavy and took so long to melt that it bent the branches of the trees badly. It was such an unusual sight that it was decided to keep this new appearance and to clip the hedge accordingly from then on.

View of the house and the sunken garden.

Another view of the "wibbly wobbly" hedge.

The village of Montacute is worth a stroll. It boasts nice houses, St Catherine's church (picture) and an imposing abbey gate, the only remain of Montacute's former priory which was demolished after Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries.

North transept: marble monument to Edward Phelips (c. 1613-1680) and his wife. He was the grandson of THE Edward Phelips who commissioned the building of the house.

North transept: funeral monument of David, who died in 1484, and Ann Phelips.

North transept: monument to Bridget Phelips (died 1508), note the fine rendering of her dress.

Montacute village: it is worth climbing up St Michael's Hill for a view of the village and the estate. Spot Montacute House rising just above the trees on the left, St Catherine Church in the middle and the massive gate of the former abbey on the right.

This building located in the so-called Abbey Farmhouse was the gate to Montacute Priory and is all that remains of the former abbey. It was built in the 16th century and has been designated as a Grade I listed building.

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The interior of the house

When the National Trust took over the house, Montacute was just an empty shell. It was refurbished with objects, work of arts, tapestries and furniture coming either from loans or donations (many in lieu of inheritance tax). The portraits of the Phelips family are the only objects saved from its past.

Much of the furniture we saw has been donated or accepted as loan in lieu of inheritance tax and allocated to the National Trust for display at Montacute.

A warm welcome when you enter the house. The opening on the right leads to the Great Hall.

The great hall. At the end of the hall is a plaster panel dating from the 1600s depicting a scene of rough justice. It is known as the Skimmington Ride (see next picture).

A Skimmington Ride (also called Charivari) is a custom designed to shame someone in which a mock parade with discordant music is led through the village. In this particular case, you can see on the left a man being beaten by his wife with a clog as he draws ale from a barrel instead of caring for the baby in his arms. A passer-by carrying gloves is witnessing the scene and takes it as a clear sign of a man not able to hold his stand against his wife, something always good for a laugh and worth sharing with others. The second scene on the right shows a man on a pole mimicking the poor husband and being mocked and paraded through the village. He is playing a flute and a drum which would have provided the cacophonic music that is usually part of such a procession. To top it all, the scene is overflown by a bird, supposedly a cuckoo, symbol of a cuckold.

The great hall with portraits of the Phelips family on the wall. The back of the wooden chairs on display are adorned with delicate Chicheley Hall and were probably commissioned either by the 4th Baronet, Sir John Chester (1666-1724) who rebuilt the hall between 1719 and 1723 or by Sir John Chester, 6th Baronet (d. 1748).

Detail of the back of one of the chairs on display in the great hall, built 1720-30 with mahogany and holly (see previous picture).

Detail of the vase standing on the commode in the previous picture.

Some Dutch glass work on the windows of the great hall.

"Honi Soit qui Mal y Pense" on one of the windows of the great hall.

The parlour with nice wood panelling is home to the tapestry of the Hunter.

Parlour: tapestry of the Hunter; designed by Francois Desportes c.1731 but based on an earlier set woven for Louis XIV at the Gobelins factory in Paris. It was woven by Scottish master weaver James Neilson.

Parlour: black and gilt click here for a full picture and views of the inside.

Parlour: detail of a cabinet with beautiful marquetry inlaid work (barberry, olivewood, walnut and holly), English, probably London, circa 1700. Was originally in Chicheley Hall (Chester Family), click here for a full picture and views of the inside.

Parlour: detail of a table (click here for a full picture). Was originally in Chicheley Hall (Chester Family).

Portrait of Called Lucius Cary, 2nd Viscount Falkland (1610-1643) by Cornelius Johnson, painted in 1633. Provenance: the Malcolm Stewart Bequest (National Trust).

Drawing Room: Coromandel lacquer cabinet, Chinese export made in England, circa 1660-1680. Loan from Viscount Esher, Lionel Brett to Montacute House. Provenance: loan from Viscount Esher, Lionel Brett to Montacute House.

Drawing Room: black and gilt japanned cabinet, probably English, mid 18th century.

Drawing room: one of two Chinese pottery ornaments in the form of Dogs of Foo (in fact Chinese lion guardians) framing the floor of the fireplace. This one is featured with a baby one. Glazed in green, aubergine and turquoise, the pierced rectangular bases painted with flowers and insects (19th century).

Drawing Room: brass inlaid tortoiseshell, brass mounted and ebonised writing table, French, circa 1850-70. Provenance: the Malcolm Stewart Bequest (National Trust).

Detail of the top of the writing table featured on the previous picture.

Portrait of possibly Elizabeth Hamilton, Mrs John Cameron of Glenkindy, later the Comtesse de Fay by Sir Joshua Reynolds PRA. This portrait was painted circa 1754 (year of her first marriage). Provenance: the Malcolm Stewart Bequest (National Trust).

View of the great hall towards the screen separating the great hall from the entrance hallway.

Tapestry of the millefleur tapestries, woven in Tournai (Belgium). Provenance: the Malcolm Stewart Bequest as part of a collection of six tapestries

Chairs of the "Chicheley Hall Walnuttree & Guilt Furniture" (ca.1725). They are part of a comprehensive set including ten chairs, a settee and a four panel room screen. They were probably commissioned by Sir John Chester, 4th Bt (1666-1726), for Chicheley Hall (Buckinghamshire). Maker: possibly John Hodson, Upholder and cabinet maker, London (1709-1786). They are kept in very dimmed light to preserve their fine tapestry covers.

One of the Chicheley chairs. The scenes represented on their back are inspired from the writings of Ovid, mostly from The Metamorphoses. The seat covers have floral motives.

The four panel screen part of the set of the Chicheley furniture.

Detail of the Chicheley screen: seems to be Hercules slaying the Lernaean Hydra.

Close-up of the previous picture: Hercules slaying the Lernaean Hydra.

Coat of arms. The motto reads Pro aris et focis (for hearth and home).

Portrait of Elizabeth Knollys, Lady Leighton (b.1549) attributed to George Gower, painted in 1577. Provenance: The Malcolm Stewart Bequest (National Trust).

Portrait of Caroline Elizabeth Taylor, Mrs Charles Phelips (1796-1876).

Portrait of Susie Pwatinit, Mrs Denis Phelips (1903-2003) by Miles Balmford Sharp.

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