NEWS FEED
For the first time, a part of the late Lord Montagu’s private apartment in Palace House in Beaulieu is being opened to visitors, with the launch of a new exhibition.
The Lady and the Rebel is a tribute to two remarkable women in the Montagu family who, between them, spanned the whole of the 20th century.
The newly opened section includes the library was used by the late Lord Montagu as a sitting room and office. The exhibition lines the corridor outside the library and tells the story of Pearl Pleydell-Bouverie and Elizabeth Montagu through their own words and possessions.
Lord Montagu said: “My grandmother Pearl was born in 1895 and became the chatelaine of Beaulieu when she married my grandfather John in 1920. Her devotion to the estate and the family over the following decades ensured continuity during some very difficult years. She came to be loved by everyone in the community and remained here until she died in 1996, aged 101.”
He added: “My aunt Elizabeth was born in 1909, the child of my grandfather and his first wife Cis. Elizabeth rejected the social conventions of the time, preferring to travel in Europe and mix with some of the leading artists and musicians of the period. Her career started with acting and went on to include modelling, writing, music, travel, military service, intelligence work and film production. Happily, her final years were spent back at Beaulieu, where she died in 2002.
“The stories of these women give both a local and international perspective on many of the significant events of the 20th century. It is a great pleasure to celebrate their lives in the family home they both knew so well.”
The story of Elizabeth, the one-time heir to the Beaulieu Estate, was recently told in the film The Honourable Rebel which has just gone on sale on DVD. The film was narrated by actress Diana Rigg and mostly shot on the Beaulieu Estate, and follows Elizabeth’s life from childhood through to her marriage.
Pearl and Elizabeth’s stories come together when Pearl became Elizabeth’s stepmother on her marriage to John 2nd Baron Montagu. Pearl was only 14 years older than Elizabeth but they were very different personalities. Pearl was conventional and did her best to conform to expectations while Elizabeth was curious, creative and unimpressed by being the daughter of a lord. Six years after her marriage to John, Pearl gave birth to Edward, their long-awaited son, which freed Elizabeth of the responsibility of being heir to the Beaulieu Estate.
The entrance to the newly opened library at Palace House is through a false bookshelf door which contains many strangely titled books including The Hospitale of Incurable Fooles, Mason’s Newe Arte of Lyinge and theArte of Goode Living and Dying. The door originally came from Ditton Park near Windsor, a former Montagu family home, and has been re-hung with the books facing into the corridor so visitors can get a better view of it.
Another section of the newly opened corridor, together with a former guest bedroom, has become a gallery space for art from the Art Russe Foundation. About 25 paintings and sculptures will be displayed in the house until a permanent gallery opens in the grounds next year.
The Beaulieu attraction is open daily from 10am until 6pm. For more information visit www.beaulieu.co.uk
