Mottisfont Abbey

We had our last delicious breakfast - scrambled eggs and smoked salmon was my choice - packed up, and headed home. On our way home we took a small detour to quickly visit Mottisfont Abbey, which is situated in the Test Valley in Hampshire. It is a historical priory and country estate that is now under the management of the National Trust.  During the Dissolution of the Monasteries under King Henry VIII, the priory was dissolved and the king gave Mottisfont to Sir William Sandys, who turned it into a country home, but rather unusually, chose not to demolish the existing priory. Sandys instead turned the church nave into the main body of the new mansion, building additional wings on either side. Sections of the original medieval church may still be seen, with the later additions built around them. Like most old buildings in Europe, it is currently undergoing renovations and you can see the scaffolding on the front of the building.

We are now home, I have already done two loads of washing and I am helping Gavin get organised as he is about to leave for the airport to fly to Sydney. He will be away for nearly two weeks, so Thomas and I are on our own for the next week of half term.