Montacute House

Built in the late 16th century for Sir Edward Phelips, Montacute glitters with many windows and is adorned with elegant chimneys, carved parapets and other Renaissance features, including contemporary plasterwork, chimneypieces and heraldic glass. Montacute House works in partnership with the National Portrait Gallery and displays over 50 of the finest Tudor and Elizabethan portraits from the national collection. These are displayed in the magnificent Long Gallery, the longest of its type in England. The partnership also enables activities for families, school and community groups and a programme of tours and talks. The splendid staterooms are full of fine 17th- and 18th-century furniture and there are also fine textiles, including 17th- and 18th-century samplers from the Goodhart Collection. The formal garden includes mixed borders, old roses and interesting topiary and is surrounded by a landscape park. The wider estate encompasses St Michael’s Hill, site of a Norman castle, topped with an accessible 18th-century lookout tower

Name and credits for images of Montacute

Reference: 9659

Description of image – The north and east fronts of Montacute seen from the garden behind some bushes, the whole scene drenched in winter sunlight.

Credit for photograph: Rupert Truman

Copyright: ©NTPL/Rupert Truman

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