Mompesson House is located in the centre of Salisbury on the cathedral close, and it dates from the start of 1700. It was leased to several families, and it was last inhabited in 1975. A female member family who lived in the house until 1939 enjoyed painting, so several of her paintings are located on the walls. The last people to live in the house was an architect who modernised it and added plumbing and electricity. The house has been opened to the public by National Trust since 1977. I visited the house with my friend at the end of July, and we had a beautiful warm day. We arrived a few minutes before the house opened.
There was a lot of information about the servants in the house. The servants lived in their own servant's wing next to the house in a red brick building and in attics. In larger houses, they would live in the basements.
Right inside the house is the entrance hall with rooms and a staircase connected to it. There would have been one or more footmen to receive guests. The hallway was always built to be impressive, and the plasterwork was added shortly after the house was constructed.
The large drawing room is the largest room in the house and would have acted as a hub for entertaining and activities. The ceilings are high, and this would have allowed paintings to be displayed. This was the best-decorated room to show off. There would have been music performed in this room, and a doorway to the smaller drawing room (Parlour) at the front of the house would have been a place for people to withdraw from the noise and activities.
The dining room would have been "the best parlour" and set up for dining depending on guests.
Upstairs there is a small room at the top of the stairs and then two rooms connecting on both sides. Both of these rooms have views over the front of the house, the cathedral and close.
At the back of the house and on the ground floor is a small room tucked away before the exit to the garden. This is the library. It was re-painted in the original colours.
There is a spacious garden with flowers, and there's a stable and some other outbuildings.
Mompesson House was a nice visit, and there is a cafe and a bookshop in the garden buildings.
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