Montacute House, National Trust, Montacute near Yeovil, Somerset, Southern England - May 2025

Описание: Montacute House is an Elizabethan mansion in the picturesque little village of Montacute near Yeovil in South Somerset, England. It is a fine example of English architecture created during a period that was moving from the medieval Gothic to the more classically-inspired Renaissance style and is one of the few 'prodigy houses' to have survived almost unchanged from the Elizabethan era.

The Mansion was designed by an unknown architect, possibly the mason William Arnold, and was constructed of the local Ham Hill stone. It was built around 1598 for Sir Edward Phelips, a lawyer and politician who was Speaker of the House of Commons from 1604 until 1611, and subsequently Master of the Rolls from 1611 until his death in 1614. He was the prosecutor in the trial of the Gunpowder Plotters. Phelips' descendants occupied the house until the early 20th century. Montacute was acquired by the National Trust and is the earliest of the Trust's acquisitions.

The east front of the house, the intended principal façade, is known for its Dutch-style gables and the east façade faced onto a large entrance court and the two remaining pavilions flanked a large gatehouse which was later demolished. This entrance court and gatehouse were approached through an even larger outer court. The courts were however not fortified, but bordered by ornate balustrading which, with the ogee roofs of the pavilions, are in reality follies, an ornamental and domestic acknowledgement of the fortified courts and approaches found in earlier medieval English manors and castles.

The house and its gardens have been a filming location for several films and a setting for television costume dramas and literary adaptations.

The music for this May-time visit is 'Driftin' by Ernie Hancock.