Mottisfont Abbey

Mottisfont Abbey was celebrated as a 12th Century Priory. This location was always a natural choice for settlement as there is an ancient spring ('font') present, along with the lovely Test River running through this fertile valley. For thousands of years, this has been a first class fly fishing river. Today we saw many fish enjoying the cool waters.

Following King Henry Vlll's Dissolution, this medieval priory went into private hands. This huge home we see today is built 'on top' of the Abbey. In one room, as we toured the house, we saw the original Abbey chapel pillars exposed. Of course, we wished that more of the original Abbey was exposed.

The gardens here are beautiful, as are the magnificent ancient trees and expanses of rolling lawn. The National Trust now owns this property and it is wonderful to see how much it is enjoyed by the public. We were here along with hundreds of others out enjoying a warm, sunny Sunday!