Montacute House II

Here is the front door which says

Through this wide op'ning Gate
None come too Early none Return too Late


This is a quote from Alexander Pope's Second Satire of the Second Book of Horace, Paraphrased  and come from a speech of an upper class ne'er do well, thought to have been added in the nineteenth century to the East frontdoor of this 17th century house

The coat of arms above the porch into the door are those of the house's builder, Sir Edward Phelips 1560- 1614 and dated 1601.

The door opens into the screens passage at one end of the Great Hall.

In this picture you can see the open door, and the passage behind the screen. This passage divides the great hall from the dining room.

And of course the screen itself.

It really is beautiful. It is a single story screen.

By this time, great halls were where the lord met his guests and took them up to the first floor private dining room.  At one time, the floor was tiled.  I am sure it was used similarly in our time.

The fireplace and paneling on this wall are original.

The stained glass in the windows is heraldic with the coats of arms of Elizabeth the first and Sir Edward Phelips and his brothers.

At the other end of the hall is a plaster frieze that  shows a story of what might happen to a man who strikes his wife with a shoe.

Until next time