- Mottisfont Abbey
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Mottisfont Priory 
Monastery information Order Augustinian Established 1201 Disestablished 22 May 1536 Dedicated to The Priory Church of the Holy Trinity, Mottisfont People Founder(s) William Briwere Site Location Mottisfont, Hampshire, England Grid Reference SU327270 Visible Remains parts of church, chapter house and cellarium incorporated into 18th century mansion Public Access yes (National Trust) 
Mottisfont Abbey gardens
Mottisfont Rose Garden
A map of the estate walkMottisfont Abbey is a historical abbey and country estate in England. Sheltered in the valley of the River Test, the property is now operated by the National Trust. About 200,000 people visit each year. The site includes the historic house museum, regular changing art exhibitions, gardens (including a walled rose garden) and a river walk.
History
Fertile land and a plentiful water supply attracted the first settlers. The site's name comes from a spring ("font") that is still producing water in the grounds. It was the font around which the local community held its moots or meetings. An Augustinian priory was founded here in 1201 by William Briwere, a businessman, administrator and courtier to four Plantagenet kings who chose to make a public demonstration of his wealth and piety. The canons welcomed pilgrims en route to Winchester, who came to worship Mottisfont's relic, said to be the finger of St John the Baptist
Struck by the Black Death, the initially prosperous priory suffered from the mid-14th century onwards. During the Dissolution of the Monasteries under King Henry VIII , the priory was dissolved and the king gave Mottisfont to a favoured statesmen, Sir William Sandys, who turned it into a country home, but rather unusually, chose not to demolish the existing priory. Sandys instead turned the church nave into the main body of the new mansion, building additional wings on either side. Sections of the original medieval church may still be seen, with the later additions built around them. The 13th-century cellarium also remains present today.
In the 18th century, the old monastic cloisters and Tudor courtyard were demolished by the Barker Mill family, creating the modern appearance of the estate's facade. The estate became a centre for hunting, shooting and fishing, and a new stable block was built.
The last decades of the 19th century saw Mottisfont let to wealthy banker Daniel Meinertzhagen under eccentric terms that forbade the installation of electric light or central heating. The ten Meinertzhagen children included Daniel and Richard, who build aviaries for their collection of eagles, hawks, owls and ravens. Richard wrote detailed diaries about his childhood and growing interest in the natural world.
The arrival of Maud and Gilbert Russell in 1934 made Mottisfont the centre of a fashionable artistic and political circle. Maud was a wealthy patron of the arts, and she created a substantial country house where she entertained artists and writers including Ben Nicholson and Ian Fleming. She commissioned some of her artist and designer friends to embellish Mottisfont, always with an eye on its history, which fascinated her. Rex Whistler created the illusion of Gothic architecture in her salon (now known as the Whistler Room), a piece of trompe-l'œil painting that recalls the medieval architecture of the priory. Boris Anrep contributed mosaics both inside and outside the house, including one of an angel featuring Maud’s face – the couple had a long love affair.
One of the artists who visited regularly was Derek Hill, a society portrait painter who had a private passion for landscape painting, and who collected work by his contemporaries. He donated a substantial collection of early 20th-century art to the National Trust to be shown at Mottisfont, in memory of his long friendship with Maud Russell. Today, these works are joined by a changing programme of temporary exhibitions of 20th-century and contemporary art.
External links
Categories:- Gardens in Hampshire
- Country houses in Hampshire
- History of Hampshire
- Historic house museums in Hampshire
- Priories in Hampshire
- Augustinian monasteries in England
- National Trust properties in Hampshire
- 1201 establishments
- 1536 disestablishments
- Grade I listed buildings in Hampshire
- Rose gardens
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