I first visited this beautiful house and grounds about 60 years ago when my family use to travel down from Lancashire on what was then their annual holidays. I have been back many times since and been privileged to see the growth of, what is now the National Motor Museum. The museum was opened in 1952 as the Montagu Motor Museum and became a charitable trust in 1972. At that time many of the exhibits were displayed in the hall of the manor house, Lord Montagu’s home. It contains an important collection of historic motor vehicles, including four world land speed record holders:
Sir Malcolm Campbell's 1920 Sunbeam 350 hp
His son Donald Campbell's 1961 Bluebird - Proteus CN7
The 1927 Sunbeam 1000 hp ( the first motor car to reach 200 miles per hour (322 km/h )
The 1929 Irving-Napier Special Golden Arrow.
Beaulieu Palace House was originally built in the 13th century as the gatehouse of Beaulieu Abbey. Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the estate was purchased by Sir Thomas Wriothesley, later 1st Earl of Southampton, in 1538. The house passed through marriage into the Montagu family and is still owned by the 1st Earl's descendant, The 4th Baron Montagu of Beaulieu. The house was extended in the 16th century, and again in the 19th century, and is today a fine example of a Gothic country house. The house overlooks the beautiful Beaulieu River and is surrounded by lawns and walkways. The inside of the house has been kept in a Victorian style. Although still home to the current Lord and Lady Montagu, parts of the house and gardens are open daily to the public. The Palace House is open to the public as part of the visitor attraction which includes:
Beaulieu Abbey
National Motor Museum
Beaulieu Palace House
World of Top Gear
Secret Army Exhibition - an exhibit about the Special Operations Executive training at Beaulieu during World War II
Gardens and a great cafe and restaurant.
A monorail and rides.
Visitors have been exploring the ruins of Beaulieu Abbey since 1912. In 1952, Edward, Lord Montagu opened Palace House and Gardens to the public for the first time - making Beaulieu among the first stately homes to admit visitors. For the grand opening, he displayed five Veteran cars in the entrance hall of the house as a tribute to his late father, John Douglas - Scott-Montagu, who was a motoring advocate and pioneer at the turn of the last century. Beaulieu, is said to be one of the most haunted places in Britain, with reported sightings going back over a hundred years and possibly as far as the mid 16th century. Numerous paranormal investigators have conducted research at the abbey, including Arthur Conan Doyle, who it is claimed made contact with a ghost during a séance at Palace House. A lady in blue or grey, reportedly sighted walking through walls and making a lot of noise in the private apartments, is believed to be the ghost of the Countess of Beaulieu, Lady Isabella, who died in 1786. The smell of incense, which allegedly signals tragedy for the people of the abbey or the village, was also reported by Edward Douglas - Scott - Montagu, 3rd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu among others in a room of the Palace House used as a chapel in the Middle Ages.
29 окт 2024
