Montacute Pudding House

We set off for a brief sojourn in Dorset this day, going by way of Gloucestershire, South Gloucestershire, Bath and North East Somerset, Somerset, before finally arriving in Dorchester. Betimes we stopped at Montacute House, Somerset, mainly because we had been advised to by my sister TMLHereandThere, and it had featured in Wolf Hall, the BBC's current costume drama of Tudor Times. I believe my brother-in-law's brother was married there, in 1994, when my first-born niece was three years old, playing the part of a very prettily-attired flower girl. I still have the photographic prints that Tanya sent me, recently brought down from the attic, and that was also an inspiration for the visit.

There were no little girls in shepherdess costumes running along by stone balustrades today: just a freezing February chill, and a flat, leaden sky that made mockery of photography. For the second or third time in my life, I altered my white balance and ISO settings, to no avail, it seemed. Cloudy is cloudy. February is February.

However, we stayed for the guided tour of the house, which is under wraps for conservation and filming of Wolf Hall, and learned some few facts. Montacute House was built between 1598 and 1601 and belonged to a grand family, the Phelips, who used it as their summer residence. It has 25 bedrooms and is made 60% of glass. The house was lost owing to the gambling habits of one of the rogues of the family, and eventually let to tenants. Subsequent portions were added on over the centuries, and the family owned a great deal of surrounding acreage. In the manner so many of the Stately Homes of England, it fell into the hands of the National Trust. This august organisation both encourages and discourages visitors, because the latter group brings in much-needed revenue for maintenance and repairs, but will insist on causing damage by breathing, walking on the stone floors, and (horror of horrors) touching things!

On leaving the house, we found that the sun had made an appearance, and I was able to blip one of the two pudding houses in better light. No one is certain what purpose the pudding houses once served, but it was unlikely to have been romantic assignations, as they are in full view of the front of the house.

We took our leave of Somerset and headed down the road towards Dorset. Night was already falling.