Mottistone Manor

Mottistone Manor is a National Trust property in the village of Mottistone on the Isle of Wight, England. It is a listed building with a house of medieval roots and gardens that visitors can explore, and it sits close to the village of Brighstone.

How old is Mottistone Manor?

The estate appears in documents connected with the Domesday Book of 1086, so a settlement on this spot is almost a thousand years old. The manor as it stands today took shape during the 15th and 16th centuries. The Cheke family built the manor house, and in the 17th and early 18th century it belonged to the Dillington family.

What happened to the house in 1703?

In 1703 a landslide effectively buried the back of the house. The damage was not put right for more than two centuries, which is a large part of why the manor's story is so unusual among English country houses. Over the years the estate had mixed fortunes, and at one stage the garden area was even used as a farmyard.

Who restored the manor?

Charles Seely bought the estate in 1861. His son Jack moved in during 1926 and commissioned restoration work. The landslide damage was repaired and the manor was brought back to life. The house was remodelled by the architects Seely and Paget, who gave the old building the form it has today.

What are the gardens like?

The gardens are far younger than the house. They are a creation of the 1960s, developed by Lady Vivien Nicholson, and they emulate a Mediterranean style that reflects her connection with Sicily. National Trust gardeners have since built on the original design to create a varied planting scheme. Today the grounds include a wildflower meadow, a rose garden, an olive grove and an orchard, among other areas. Sources differ on details of later redesigns, so it is best to check current information with the National Trust before a visit.

Who owns Mottistone Manor now?

The property belongs to the National Trust. Published sources give different dates and circumstances for the transfer, so the exact year is uncertain. What is clear is that the Seely family and their architectural partner Paget are closely tied to the building's survival.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Mottistone Manor? In the village of Mottistone on the Isle of Wight, near Brighstone. Approximate coordinates are 50.6525, -1.42678.

Is Mottistone Manor in the Domesday Book? The estate is mentioned in documents related to the Domesday Book of 1086.

Is it a listed building? Yes, the manor is a listed building.

Can you visit the gardens? Yes. The gardens are run by the National Trust and feature a wildflower meadow, rose garden, olive grove and orchard.

Why was the back of the house buried? A landslide in 1703 effectively buried the rear of the house, and it stayed that way for over 200 years until restoration in the 20th century.

Why visit?

Mottistone Manor combines several layers of history in one place: a Domesday-era estate, a house shaped by the 15th and 16th centuries, a dramatic landslide, a 20th-century rescue and a Mediterranean-inspired garden. For anyone exploring the Isle of Wight beyond its beaches, it is a rewarding stop that shows how a single site can be rebuilt and reimagined over time.