Beaulieu Palace House ( ) is a 13th-century house in Beaulieu, Hampshire, United Kingdom. Originally part of

Beaulieu Abbey Beaulieu Abbey, , was a Cistercian abbey in Hampshire, England. It was founded in 1203–1204 by King John and (uniquely in Britain) populated by 30 monks sent from the abbey of Cîteaux in France, the mother house of the Cistercian order. Th ...

, the estate was bought in 1538 by Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton, following the Dissolution of the Monasteries. It is still owned and occupied by the earl's descendants, the

Barons Montagu of Beaulieu Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher th ...

History

Beaulieu Palace House was originally built in the 13th century as the gatehouse of

. 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 Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

country house. The house overlooks Beaulieu River and is surrounded by lawns and walkways. The inside of the house has been kept in a

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

style. King James stayed at Beaulieu in August 1613 and gave an audience to the Venetian ambassador Antonio Foscarini.Allen Hinds, ''Calendar State Papers, Venice: 1613-1615'', vol. 13 (London, 1907), p. 32 no. 60. Although still home to the current Lord and Lady Montagu, parts of the house and gardens are open daily to the public. It is a member of the Treasure Houses of England consortium. The Palace House is open to the public as part of the visitor attraction known as "Beaulieu", which includes: *

* 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 * A monorail * Rides

In film

The 1936

British Pathé British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

film, 'Miniature Railway', (ID Number 1222.23), is a 1':40" long feature which shows (Miss.) "Mary Cook" driving the engine around the grounds.

Local folklore and legend

Beaulieu, according to the official website, is 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 Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...

, 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.

References

External links

Official website
{{Treasure Houses of England Buildings and structures completed in the 13th century Country houses in Hampshire Palaces in England Historic house museums in Hampshire Grade I listed buildings in Hampshire Grade I listed palaces New Forest folklore Reportedly haunted locations in South East England