Mottisfont Abbey through the trees

Mottisfont Abbey was bought by Maud and Gibert Russell in 1934. It has a 13th century vaulted wine cellar and intriguing paint effects on the walls upstairs in the house. Rex Whistler has designed the stunning reception room, and the walls are hung with aristic works including Degas, Nicholson, Hepworth and Piper, collected by Derek Hill, a painter who loved visiting Mottisfont in the 1950's. Currently there is a brilliant photograhy exhibition of Patrick Lichfield's works