 Montacute House
Amidst the gentle contours of the Somerset countryside stands a wonderful old
and weathered mansion built in the soft, honey-coloured tones of the
local limestone. Barely managing to survive a past fraught with financial
difficulties, Montacute's future is still by no means guaranteed and
continued efforts to bring in revenue are an absolute necessity to
save Montacute House from disappearing without trace. Having once been described
as "the most beautiful Elizabethan house in England" this
would be an unthinkable tragedy for a house embracing such a colourful history.
Built at the end of the 16th century for Sir Edward Phelips, a successful lawyer and politician, this
fine house was a symbol, not only of his wealth, but also of his high
social standing. It was Sir Edward that gave the opening speech for the
prosecution at the trial of Guy Fawkes. When first completed, it must
have presented an awesome spectacle, displaying almost a complete wall
of windows interlaced with elaborate carved detail, niches and sculptures,
and then gracefully roofed with curved gables and slender columned chimneys.
Originally, there was a grand gatehouse entrance, set between the remaining
pair of domed pavilions, and these buildings would have provided additional
accommodation for guests.
Inside Montacute House, Sir Edward's status is again clearly denoted by the extent of the most important
room of the time, the long gallery. A spectacular and most impressive
area, stretching the entire 172ft (52.1m) from one end of Montacute House to the other,
and with a cluster of smaller rooms leading off the gallery at either
end. Today this room retains its importance in the 100 historic portraits
it now exhibits, as a result of a joint venture between the National
Trust and the National Portrait Gallery to draw in additional visitors,
thereby increasing revenue.
As Montacute House passed through the generations, few alterations appear to have been made before the
1770s. This was inevitably due to financial restraints, as it is known
that most of the fine furniture installed by Sir Edward was sold after the Civil
War to pay off debtors. In 1728 Montacute House was said to be in a bad state
of neglect resulting from a complex inheritance arrangement. However,
extensive restoration work was carried out 50 years later, including
the rebuilding of the west front. The height of fashion at this time was
to adopt a classical look, but Montacute's façade is more a combination
of Gothic and Renaissance motif work, French in origin, and dating
from the early 16th century. Most of this ornamental stonework, including
the delightful heraldic beasts keeping watch on the parapets, was bought
second-hand following the demolition of another local country house.
Two further lean periods during the early 19th and 20th centuries again resulted
in Montacute House being stripped of all contents and, following a lease of
the property to Lord Curzon and his mistress, Montacute House was finally put
up for sale in 1929. By the generosity of Ernest Cook, grandson to the
founder of the travel agent group, Montacute House containing only a few family
portraits, and Lord Curzon's bath, was presented to the National Trust.
Now partly furnished with gifts, bequests and loans, and the gardens beautifully
planted out with the help of Vita Sackville-West, it is possible to feel
the gradual re-awakening of a house that came so close to being lost forever. |
