Montacute Castle

Montacute is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Yeovil. The village has a population of 831 (2011 census). The name Montacute is thought by some to derive from the Latin "Mons Acutus", referring to the conically acute St Michael's Hill dominating the village to the west. An alternative view is that it is named after Drogo de Montagu, whose family originated from Montaigu-les-Bois, in the arrondissement of Coutances. Robert, Count of Mortain held Montacute after 1066, and Drogo was a close associate of his. The village is built almost entirely of the local hamstone. From the 15th century until the beginning of the 20th century it formed the heart of the estate of the Phelips family of Montacute House. The village has a fine medieval church, and was the site of a Cluniac priory, the gatehouse of which is now a private house. At the centre of the village is a large square known as the 'Borough' around which are grouped picturesque cottages and a pub, the Phelips Arms; there is a second public house and hotel situated in the village, called the King's Arms.

Abbey Farmhouse is a detached house in Montacute, Somerset, England, which incorporates the gateway of the medieval Montacute Priory. It was built in the 16th century and has been designated as a Grade I listed building.After the dissolution of the monasteries the property became a farmhouse, but by 1633 it was 'almost desolate'. By 1782 it was a revitalised farm, remaining part of the Phelips estate until 1918.There are 2.5 acres (1.0 ha) of walled gardens, which have been laid out since 1963.A long-distance public footpath, the Monarch's Way runs along the course of a Roman (or earlier) trackway immediately in front of the building. This path leads to Ham Hill Country Park via fields and woodland

The Anglican Church of St Catherine at Montacute within the English county of Somerset was first built in the 12th century. It is a Grade II* listed building. Montacute has had religious significance since the discover of a stone crucifix in 1035. St Catherine's was built in association with the Cluniac Montacute Priory becoming the parish church after the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Much of the fabric of the current church is from its extension in the 13th century and the tower is from the 15th. It was restored in the Victorian period. The church has tombs and memorials to the Phelips family, of Montacute House.

Montacute Priory was a Cluniac priory of the Benedictine order in Montacute, Somerset, England.

Montacute House is a late Elizabethan mansion with a garden in Montacute, South Somerset, England. An example of English architecture during a period that was moving from the medieval Gothic to the more classic inspired Renaissance style. Montacute is one of few prodigy houses to survive almost unchanged from the Elizabethan era, the house has been designated as a Grade I listed building. It was visited by 125,442 people in 2013.Designed by an unknown architect, possibly the mason William Arnold, the three-storey mansion, constructed of the local Ham Hill stone, was built in about 1598 for Sir Edward Phelips, a lawyer and politician who was Speaker of the House of Commons from 1604 until 1611, and subsequently Master of the Rolls from 1611 until his death in 1614. He was the prosecutor in the trial of the Gunpowder Plotters.Sir Edward Phelips' descendants occupied the house until the early 20th century. For a brief period, the house was let to tenants, one of whom was Lord Curzon, who lived at the house with his mistress, the novelist Elinor Glyn. In 1931, it was acquired by the National Trust. The house is maintained by the National Trust. Its Long Gallery, the longest in England, serves as an outpost of the National Portrait Gallery displaying a range of historical portraits. Montacute and its gardens have been a filming location for several films and a setting for television costume dramas and literary adaptations.

The Church of St Mary the Virgin at East Stoke in Stoke-sub-Hamdon, Somerset, England dates from the 12th century. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building. It was previously dedicated to Saint Denis.Much of the church, including the nave and chancel with their stone carving are Norman, the structure being supported by pilaster buttresses. The north transept was added about 1225 and the south transept about 1300.The church has a tower with six bells. It shows various medieval carving including abstract corbels, an astrological tympanum, and St Michael slaying the dragon. Two of the carvings are thought to be Sheela na Gigs. The upper part of the tower was built in the 13th century with the parapet being added in the 15th.The church was restored in 1862, by Benjamin Ferrey.The parish is within the benefice of Stoke-sub-Hamdon, which is part of the Wells archdeaconry.Two of the Grade II* listed 17th-century monuments in the churchyard have suffered from subsidence and as a result rising damp has caused salt crystallisation which is affecting the inscriptions. As a result, they have been added to the Heritage at Risk Register.

Ham Hill is a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Scheduled Ancient Monument, Iron Age hill fort, Roman site, Local Nature Reserve and country park, to the west of Yeovil in Somerset, England. The hill has given its name to the distinctive quarried hamstone and also to two nearby villages: Stoke-sub-Hamdon and Norton Sub Hamdon, whose names mean "under-Ham-hill" (where "Ham" is Old English for a small settlement). The Mendip Hills, Blackdown Hills, Quantock Hills and Dorset Downs are all visible from Ham Hill, especially from its war memorial. It is popular for picnicking, walking and mountain biking in the grassy hollows of the old quarry workings. The geology supports a wide range of fauna including mammals, birds, invertebrates, reptiles and amphibians living on lichens, fungi, ferns and flowering plants.

Tinker's Bubble is an intentional community located at Norton Covert in Little Norton near Yeovil in south Somerset, England. It was established in 1994 on 40 acres (160,000 m2) of land consisting of about 20 acres (81,000 m2) of woodland as well as orchards and pasture.The woods are mostly Douglas fir and larch but with patches of native species such as ash trees. Much of the pasture is maintained traditionally using scythes for hay making. Tinker's Bubble earns a small income by selling organically grown produce at local farmers' markets and selling sustainably produced timber which is felled by hand, logged by horse and sawn by a wood-fired steam-engine driven sawmill. The community has a ban on the use of fossil fuels on site (with the exception of lighting such as paraffin lamps) and use solar powered 12v electricity.The buildings are temporary structures built with a very low environmental impact when compared to conventional housing. The community fought very hard for planning consent for dwellings on the site and now has permission for temporary dwellings with limitations such as to the number of vehicles owned by the community.The community are WWOOF hosts and accept working visits from WWOOF members as a chance to experience their way of life. Nine‑year‑old Eve, from the community, features in a short documentary depicting her daily life, her school experiences, and a speech she made at an environmental rally in London.

Ham Hill Hillfort is an Iron Age hillfort located on Ham Hill, Somerset, England. It was also occupied during the mesolithic and neolithic periods and later during Roman and medieval eras. The fort is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, and the whole of the hill is a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest, a country park operated by South Somerset Council, and is visited by over 250,000 people each year.It covers an area of 210 acres (85 ha), making it one of the largest hillforts in Britain. It is the only one with a public house in its interior.

Odcombe is a village and civil parish in south Somerset, England, 3 miles (4.8 km) west of the town of Yeovil, with a population of 759 in 2011.The upper part of the village, Higher Odcombe, sits on the crest of the hill, while the lower part, Lower Odcombe, is built on its northern slopes. Odcombe falls within the Yeovil Parliamentary constituency and is covered by the Non-metropolitan district of South Somerset, which was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, having previously been part of Yeovil Rural District. There is a parish council which has responsibility for local issues.

The Anglican Church of St Peter and St Paul in Odcombe, Somerset, England was built in the 13th century. It is a Grade II* listed building.

Tintinhull is a village and civil parish near Yeovil, 2.5 miles (4 km) south west of Ilchester, in Somerset, England. The village is close to the A303. It is on the Fosse Way. In addition to a school of around 100 pupils, Tintinhull has a church, park, swimming pool and other amenities.