Montacute House

Montacute House

Montacute House is located in the small village of Montacute in the southern part of Somerset, England. It is a magnificent and elaborate late Elizabethan country house. This building is one of the finest examples of the architectural transition from medieval Gothic to classical revival styles and is also one of the best-preserved buildings from the Elizabethan period. Today, it has been designated as a Grade I listed building in the UK and is one of the country’s significant historical architectural heritage sites. According to 2011 statistics, it received 119,590 visitors.

The architect of Montacute House is unknown. It is a three-story country villa, primarily built from local Ham Hill stone, constructed in 1598 by the English lawyer and politician Edward Phelips. In later history, descendants of Phelips retained ownership of the house until the early 20th century. For a short period in history, the house was also rented out. In 1927, the property came under the ownership of the National Trust.

Today, Montacute House is fully open to visitors. The most notable feature of the house is its Long Gallery, the longest of its kind in England. Since 1975, this gallery has served as an important regional site for the National Portrait Gallery, displaying significant oil paintings and watercolours from the same era as Montacute House.

Montacute House

Must-visit reason: A mansion with England's longest long gallery

Continent where the attraction is located: Europe【Europe】

Country/Region where the attraction is located: Britain[Britain]

Province/State where the attraction is located: Somerset County [Somerset County]