• Mood: bizzy

Montacute for the umpteenth time

I took a day off on Wednesday of last week to spend it with Gerrit and Jos. In a roundabout way, via a reclamation yard in Martock and antique shops in Crewkerne where I bought, ever so slightly bizarrely, a book about Maori placenames, we ended up at Montacute House, comfortably close to home yet still a trip out! I have enjoyed Montacute at most times of the year and I was last there in the autumn with drifts of dried up brown leaves in the corners and sparcely clothed trees. Now, with spring turning to early summer, it was in all its colourful glory, beautifully planted borders and lush meadows full of buttercups.

Long drops of wisteria decorated the walls and framed the doorway entrance.

This is the first thing you see as you come out of the visitors' entrance.

And then you turn around and see the drive as it sweeps down and up again towards the gates at the end by the road.

Tulips in a huge pot by the orangerie (or should that be orangery?)

In all the times I've been to Montacute, this was the first time I'd seen the fountain in the sunken garden doing anything more than a slightly embarrassing trickle.

In fact, I was quite taken with it in full flow and photographed it from just about every angle I could think of. I have spared you most of them but can't promise that another one or two won't creep in to this set.

The dramatic south face of the house with its characteristic 'E' shaped Elizabethan plan.

Cattle in a nearby field, probably singing 'buttercups and daisies'!

Through the ballustrade

More tulippy colour

It's that fountain again, this time artily out of focus.

And again, though I like this one a lot, even if it is a little bit of a cliche.

Door handle to one of the summer houses. If nothing else this shows the wonderful rich colour of the local stone.

And again through the lichen covered ballustrade.

These tulips were in the courtyard near the ubiquitous gift shop and, to my mind, looked really classy.

 

On the way home I treated my guests to a great vegetarian lunch at one of the most unusual eating places I know. Here, at the Railway Carriage cafe. It's such a neat idea and the food, because it's part of an organic market garden, is wonderfully fresh and tasty.

Incidentally, on the map on that webpage you will notice some of the wonderfully colourful and extremely odd Somerset placenames I've come to know and love. If you can take a moment to look at the map, please tell me your favourite. So take your pick  from Whitelackington, Puckington, Compton Durville, Yeabridge, Parrett Works, Higher or Lower Chillington, Cudworth, Haselbury Plucknett, Middle Chinnock or Eggwood, or you may have your own favourites - I'd love to know.