Montacute — The Lost Tapestry

Your quest begins at the main car park of Montacute House, the architectural jewel of Montacute, Somerset. Commissioned by Sir Edward Phelips in the late 16th century and completed around 1601, this residence is an example of Elizabethan and Jacobean architecture. It is here, in one of the grand halls, that the tapestry disappeared. The Phelips family, owners of Montacute for over 300 years, accumulated a vast collection of art and documents, making this house a logical starting point for unraveling the mystery of the lost tapestry, a work whose value was measured not only in gold but also in political prestige at the court of James I.

As you explore the surroundings of Montacute House, your attention is drawn to the sculpted details of the facade. Ham Hill stone, quarried locally, gives the edifice its characteristic golden color and resistance to time. You search for unusual marks, recent graffiti, or any signs of forced entry that the servants might have missed. The gardens, laid out in the 17th century, could also conceal clues. Sir Edward Phelips' archives, a man at the heart of state affairs, sometimes mention secret transactions or coded correspondences that could shed light on the thief's trail and the tapestry's destination.

Your path then leads you to the Church of St Catherine, a medieval edifice whose foundations date back to the 12th century. Parish registers and tombstones are often silent witnesses to local events. An old sexton, known for his memory and love of gossip, might have seen something strange on the night of the theft. The Phelips chapel, added in the 17th century, houses family funerary monuments and could contain symbols related to the tapestry or the motive for its theft, perhaps a succession dispute or political revenge masked by the burglary.

Continuing your investigation, you ascend towards Ham Hill, an Iron Age hillfort and one of the largest in Europe. From here, the view over Montacute village and the surrounding Somerset countryside is breathtaking. The Ham Hill quarries supplied stone for the construction of many local buildings, including Montacute House and The Phelips Arms. A stonemason or quarryman might have witnessed suspicious movements on the roads leading to the village. It is a strategic location, often used to observe comings and goings, and perhaps the meeting point of a plot or the thief's escape route. Local accounts from 1600 speak of smugglers and brigands using the byways of Ham Hill.

Your journey brings you back to Montacute, where you pass The Phelips Arms, the old village pub. Tavern conversations were often the best sources of information, even if drowned out by noise and beer. A certain Giles, a traveling merchant from Yeovil, was reportedly seen here the day before the theft, boasting about the beauty of a tapestry he claimed to have recently seen. Finally, after visiting Montacute Priory and the Ham Hill Stone Milestone, your investigation leads you back to Montacute House. You now have all the pieces of the puzzle to understand the motive for the theft, the identity of the culprit, and where the tapestry, a work of art that has spanned centuries, is now hidden. Your deduction will unveil a forgotten chapter in the history of Somerset and the Phelips family.