Ixxxiv. MONTACUTE, BRYMPTON, AND PRESTON. 



Let us now turn to the exterior of the house. The ground plan is that of two 

 capital "E's" placed back to back. The centre in each case is a porch opening 

 behind the screen of the hall. The east or garden side is the original front of the 

 house. It is adorned with three lines of beautifully balanced windows. Under 

 the lowest or ground floor row are pairs of semi -circular seats let into the walls, 

 while under the first floor windows are circles in couples said by some architects 

 to have been intended for busts. Between the windows of the top or gallery floor 

 are the statues of the " Nine Worthies of the World," described by Dryden as : 



Nine worthies were they hight of different rites, 



Three Jews, three Heathen, and three Christian Knights. 



Last, dominating, but not overbalancing the whole, are the chimneys, so often a 

 feature of English Renaissance work, and here most prominently brought into 

 the scheme. The architect attempted little decoration on the other three sides. 

 At either end of the house only the bay of the gallery breaks the stern simplicity. 

 On the west or present front, at a later time, the present screen, which, as you 

 will notice, is early Tudor work, was added. In the diary of Edward Phelips, 

 under the year 1786, he writes " 2nd May. My wife and self attended the sale 

 of the materials of Clifton House, then pulling down. We bought the porch, 

 arms, pillars, and all the ornamental stone, to be transferred to the intended 

 west front of Montacute ; " and in 1787 he wrote " 31st March. Returned from 

 Catstock Lodge to Montacute. On my return I proceeded briskly with my 

 building of the west front, and on the 1 6th June I was enabled to pull down the 

 scaffolding, and began the inside, particularly the new common parlour " (now 

 the dining-room). On the llth of August he writes "My common parlour was 

 finished and painted." At Clifton May bank the screen must have been twice as 

 long as it now is, and consequently we cannot but feel that as it now appears it is 

 rather over decorated, but in itself it is a very fine example of Tudor work. 



The Members were then conducted over the house, whose 

 architectural features, furniture, and pictures were much admired. 



MONTACUTE CHURCH AND PRIORY. 



The Club next proceeded to the church, where they were met 

 by the VICAR (the Rev. C. F. Powys), who pointed out the chief 

 features of the interior, notably the very fine Norman chancel 

 arch (with modern capitals) and the richly-carved supports of the 

 priest's chamber. The proportions of the tower, he said, were 

 particularly good. On the south side the string-course running 

 round the exterior had been cut away in two different places for 



