The house and gallery at Mottisfont

Busts on pillars in The Long Gallery, Mottisfont, Hampshire. It was installed in the 1740s and used as an indoor exercise space for ladies. The walls are painted to simulate Sienna marble. — The Long Gallery at Mottisfont, Hampshire, was installed in the 1740s and used as an indoor exercise space for ladies. The walls are painted to simulate Sienna marble. | © National Trust Images/Andreas von Einsiedel

Discover an 18th-century building with a medieval priory at its heart. The house at Mottisfont was transformed into a comfortable, neo-classical home and artistic centre in the 1930s.

House closed Tuesday 30 April

The house will be closed on Tuesday 30 April for essential works. We're sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

Conservation cleaning

We clean and protect the collection here daily, but our house team also carries out a 'deep clean' after Christmas and into early spring. Each room gets a thorough annual clean, from ceilings and cornices down to floors and skirtings.

Sometimes, access into rooms of house is restricted while we work. Where possible, you'll still be able to look inside to see some of this preventive conservation work in action. Look out for the team using an array of interesting equipment to tackle age-old household problems such as pests and dust, as well as general wear and tear.

A transformed house

The house has seen a number of transformations over the last 800 years, shaped by its many and varied owners. Now it reflects the life and passions of Mottisfont’s fascinating last owner, society hostess and arts patron Maud Russell.

While much of her furniture and personal possessions are now gone from the house, Mrs Russell's spirit is undeniably present in the look and feel of the house today.

It's a playful house, with lots of secrets to discover.

Highlights of the house

Two mosaics by Russian artist Boris Anrep: a small panel above the doorway in the Red Room representing the Holy Trinity, and one on the south elevation of the house, which depicts the figure of an angel bearing a very strong resemblance to Mrs Russell.
A secret panel in the White Bedroom which reveals a hidden part of the old priory building.
Tucked high in one wall of the Whistler Room is a poignant, secret message from the artist, painted just before he left for active service, where he was killed in the Second World War.

The Whistler Room

Rex Whistler was commissioned to create a unique backdrop for Mottisfont’s glamorous guests in the saloon. The results were his spectacular trompe l’oeil murals, light-heartedly reflecting Mottisfont’s medieval origins.

Despite appearances, there are no columns, ledges or moulded plasterwork in this room, the walls of which are so cunningly painted that they appear to have all these gothic decorations. Take time to look closely at these finely detailed paintings and see what you can spot.

The Derek Hill Collection

Gifted to Mottisfont by the artist Derek Hill, in memory of a long friendship with Maud Russell, this is a permanent display of 20th-century art, including works by L.S. Lowry, Barbara Hepworth and Graham Sutherland. The collection contains some of Hill's own work, including a pencil drawing of Maud Russell, and paintings of Tory Island.

There are also pieces by Modern Movement painters who had inspired him, such as Gwen and Augustus John, Degas, Edwin Landseer, and Georges Seurat. Delve into the permanent Derek Hill collection.