Mottisfont Abbey Garden, House & Estate Houses

Mottisfont Abbey is owned by the National Trust and is located near Romsey, Hampshire, England. The site is thought to originate from Saxon times where meetings were held. In 1201 William Briwere founded a priory on the site, which was later converted in to a house by William Lord Sandys.

Today the site is used for tourism with beautiful kitchen gardens and is occasionally used for theatre productions in the summer months.

Set amidst glorious countryside along the River Test, this 12th-century Augustinian priory was converted into a private house after the Dissolution of the Monasteries, and still retains the spring or 'font' from which its name is derived. The abbey contains a drawing room decorated by Rex Whistler and Derek Hill's 20th-century picture collection, but the key attraction is the grounds with magnificent trees, walled gardens and National Collection of Old-fashioned Roses, at their best in mid-June. The estate includes Mottisfont village and surrounding farmland and woods.

In 19961998 a group of geophysicists surveyed the south lawn of the current mansion, under which lies the cloisters of the church, using a technique called resistivity.

From 3 to 30 June when the old-fashioned roses are in bloom the gardens are open seven days a week, from 11 to 8:30. Weekends are extremely busy and weekday and/or evening visits are recommended, especially evenings to enjoy the scent of the roses.