I am presently recording the diaries of Edward Phelips V (1725-1797) of Montacute House. They are in different places and have started my project at Montacute House itself, which has kept 4 of them. These are for the years 1759-1774 (one diary – with some...
One of the talks I do for local history groups is the ‘Historic Graffiti of Montacute House’. A few years ago, I undertook a project to record the graffiti at Montacute, of which there is a fair amount. The talk attempts to bring to life a glimpse of the social...
‘The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.’ Aristotle (384-322 BC) Anyone with an interest in architectural history cannot get away from the importance of classical temples, classical architecture and...
The changing architecture of the English country house demonstrates the evolution of arrangement in how people used and circulated within them. Fashion and educated taste combined with developments in technology provides a fascinating history of country house design....
Hutchins dedicates a section in Volume IV of his work The History And Antiquities of the County of Dorset titled ‘The Curse of Sherborne Castle from a MS. of Bishop More’. Below is a summary of the report in Hutchins: The castle was built by Roger, third Bishop of...
On the main road leading east from Sherborne (A30) at the crossroads at Henstridge is an inn, namely the Virginia Ash Inn. Although Henstridge is just in Somerset and not Dorset, I am going to include it in this series of articles in reference to the legends of...
