Montacute

At the heart of this beautiful Ham stone village is the 16th century Montacute House rescued for the National Trust in 1931 as one of its first great houses.

The house has displays of fine furniture, samplers and tapestries and also provides the perfect setting for a collection of Tudor and Jacobean portraits on loan from the National Portrait Gallery. These are shown in the Long Gallery stretching the full 172ft (52m) length of the house - the longest of its kind in Europe.

Formal gardens and parkland around the house offer enjoyable walking and the village is a must for exploring with its pretty houses and cottages built of honey coloured Ham stone, nestled in against St Michael’s Hill.

St Catherine’s Church contains memorials of the Phelips family who built and owned Montacute House for over 300 years and has other interesting features. The village has two pubs and the Montacute TV Radio and Toy Museum and Tea Rooms.

Nearby Ham Hill – where the local stone is still quarried - offers lovely walks, picnic spots and terrific views across the Somerset countryside.