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Built in the 1590s for Sir Edward Phelips, a speaker of the House of Commons, Montacute contains some of the finest 16th- and 17th-century interiors in the country. Its plasterwork, chimney pieces and tapestries are renowned, but the highlight is the Long Gallery – the longest such hall in England, it's rich in Elizabethan portraits.
Montacute is 5 miles west of Yeovil off the A3088.
It recently featured as Henry VIII's Greenwich Palace in the BBC adaptation of the novel Wolf Hall.
13.48 MILES
Topped by the ruined medieval Chapel of St Michael, the iconic hump of Glastonbury Tor is visible for miles around, and provides Somerset with one of its…
29.75 MILES
Durdle Door is the poster child of Dorset's Jurassic Coast. This immense, sea-fringed, 150-million-year-old Portland stone arch was created by a…
18.27 MILES
Wells' gargantuan Gothic cathedral sits plumb in the centre of the city, surrounded by one of the largest cathedral closes in England. It was built in…
13.6 MILES
The scattered ruins of Glastonbury Abbey give little hint that this was once one of England's great seats of ecclesiastical power. It was torn down…
24.64 MILES
Beer's creamy chalk cliffs hint at the presence of a seam of high-quality masonry material called Beer stone. It's been used in countless famous buildings…
20.34 MILES
Overflowing with vistas, temples and follies, Stourhead is landscape gardening at its finest. The Palladian house has some fine Chippendale furniture and…
25.94 MILES
The tiny cottage that was home to TE Lawrence (1888–1935) provides a compelling insight into a complex man. The British soldier became legendary after…
25.19 MILES
Half ancestral mansion, half wildlife park, Longleat was transformed into Britain's first safari park in 1966, turning Capability Brown's landscaped…
1.28 MILES
Looming above the village of Stoke-sub-Hamdon, this is the highest point in Somerset. It's served a variety of purposes – Iron Age hill fort, medieval…
5.65 MILES
This excellent aviation museum houses hundreds of naval aircraft, from a Sea Fury to Phantom fighters. You can walk on to the flight deck of the first…
8.67 MILES
At the height of its influence, the magnificent Abbey Church of St Mary the Virgin was the central cathedral of 26 succeeding Saxon bishops. Established…
9.05 MILES
Sir Walter Raleigh began building the impressive Sherborne New Castle in 1594, but only got as far as the central block before being imprisoned by James I…
9.25 MILES
The 400-strong collection at this car museum includes an array of outstanding and outlandish motors, from Aston Martins and Ferraris to oddities such as…
9.29 MILES
These days the epitome of a picturesque ruin, Sherborne's Old Castle was built by Roger, Bishop of Salisbury, in 1120 – Elizabeth I gave it to her one…
11.36 MILES
Built in the 12th century as a Cistercian monastery, Forde has been a private home since 1649. The building boasts magnificent plasterwork ceilings and…
8. Willows & Wetlands Visitor Centre
11.78 MILES
A chance to chart the course of the ancient willow industry, from reed harvesting and willow drying to the making of baskets. For deeper insights,…