Montacute House, situated in the South Somerset village of Montacute, is described by its owners, the National Trust, as "one of the glories of late Elizabethan architecture", and has been designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building. It was visited by 111,070 people in 2007.
The three floored mansion, constructed of local Ham Hill stone, was built circa 1598 by Sir Edward Phelips, Master of the Rolls to Queen Elizabeth I. Some sug...
more
Montacute House, situated in the South Somerset village of Montacute, is described by its owners, the National Trust, as "one of the glories of late Elizabethan architecture", and has been designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building. It was visited by 111,070 people in 2007.
The three floored mansion, constructed of local Ham Hill stone, was built circa 1598 by Sir Edward Phelips, Master of the Rolls to Queen Elizabeth I. Some suggest architect William Arnold is responsible for the design, though it has yet to be substantiated. The house is distinguished by Dutch gables decorated with stone monkeys and other creatures. The many large, mullioned windows, an innovation of their day, give the appearance that the principal façade is built entirely of glass; a similar fenestration was employed at Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire. On the top floor, the windows of the gallery are interspaced by statues of the Nine Worthies dressed in Roman costume. Inside, two broad stone...
less
