Mottisfont Abbey mural painted by artist Rex Whistler

Its elegant facade, reflecting in the clear waters of the River Test, speaks of centuries of transformation – from medieval priory to grand country home. Today, Mottisfont Abbey is renowned for its breathtaking gardens, particularly the National Collection of pre-1900 shrub roses that perfume the summer air. 

Yet, within its walls resides a poignant and exquisite mural created by a brilliant talent whose life was tragically extinguished - the trompe l'oeil drawing room created by the artist Rex Whistler, a gleaming jewel conceived in peace but forever coloured by the shadow of war.

The story of Mottisfont itself stretches back over eight centuries. 

Its name whispers of ancient origins, thought to derive from the Old English ‘motes funta’, signifying a spring located near a meeting place or confluence. 

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Local tradition even hints at a Saxon presence on the site, drawn perhaps to the life-giving waters that bubble up nearby. 

However, recorded history firmly plants its roots in 1201 AD with the founding of an Augustinian priory by William Briwere. 

Briwere was no minor figure. He was a powerful baron in the courts of Richard I and King John, his name etched onto the Magna Carta, forever linking Mottisfont to a pivotal moment in English history. 

For more than three hundred years, the priory served as a centre of religious life, its community dedicated to prayer and service within Hampshire.

This monastic chapter came to an abrupt end, as it did for so many religious houses across England, during Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century. 

The priory buildings, stripped of their religious function, were granted away and began their slow metamorphosis into a private residence. 

Over the following centuries, Mottisfont passed through various hands, each owner leaving their mark. 

The Tudor structure that emerged from the priory's bones was itself later remodelled, eventually taking on the gracious Georgian proportions visitors admire today, wrapping the medieval core within a newer, elegant skin.

It wasn't until 1934 that the Russell family arrived, forging the connection that would lead to Whistler's unique contribution. 

Gilbert Russell, a successful figure in the world of finance, purchased the estate.

Remarkably, through his lineage, he was a descendant of the original founder, William Briwere, bringing the property’s story full circle in a rather romantic fashion. 

Gilbert and his wife, Maud, were key figures in the bright, sophisticated social scene of the 1930s. They envisioned Mottisfont not just as a country retreat, but as a stylish backdrop for entertaining, a place where contemporary taste could blend with historic charm. 

They embarked on significant changes, particularly to the gardens, laying the groundwork for the horticultural paradise it would become. 

But their most inspired decision was arguably commissioning a young, exceptionally gifted artist to reimagine one of the house's key spaces.

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Enter Reginald John ‘Rex’ Whistler. Born in Eltham, Kent, in 1905, Whistler was one of the glittering talents of his generation. 

From his earliest years, an innate skill for drawing was apparent, a fluid line coupled with a fertile imagination.

He honed his craft at the Slade School of Fine Art, quickly distinguishing himself. By the 1930s, Whistler had carved out a stellar reputation, not just as an easel painter or illustrator - though he excelled at both - but predominantly as a muralist and a master of decorative schemes imbued with wit, romance, and technical skill. 

He possessed a particular genius for trompe l'oeil – the art of deceiving the eye, creating painted illusions so convincing they blur the line between the depicted and the real. 

His work adorned grand houses, fashionable restaurants like the Tate Gallery's dining room - now the Rex Whistler Restaurant - and even theatre sets. 

His style was elegant, often whimsical, referencing classical motifs but always with a light, modern touch.

For Maud Russell, with her keen eye for style and desire to create something truly special at Mottisfont, Rex Whistler seemed the perfect choice. 

The commission, given in 1938, was specific: to transform the somewhat austere former entrance hall in the south-west wing into a spectacular Gothic-style drawing room. The challenge was not just to decorate the space, but to utterly redefine its architecture and atmosphere using only paint.

Whistler embraced the task with characteristic flair and ingenuity. Over the course of 1938 and into 1939, he worked meticulously, covering the walls with his masterful illusions. 

He didn't just paint pictures on the walls, he painted the walls themselves into a fantastical Gothic setting. 

Plaster was made to look like elaborately carved stone vaulting, complete with bosses and intricate tracery. 

Flat surfaces dissolved into illusory niches containing classical urns wreathed in painted smoke or fog, seemingly floating within the space. 

Candelabras appear to cast real shadows, architectural features recede into imagined depths, and draperies hang with impossible softness.

The entire room became a playful, immersive environment. Whistler incorporated witty details, including a half-peeled classical bust revealing the brickwork beneath, and subtle jokes hinting at the room's recent creation. 

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The palette is deliberately muted, primarily greys and whites, enhancing the illusion of stone and plaster and lending the room an ethereal, almost dreamlike quality. 

It is a space that invites contemplation and delights the eye, a testament to Whistler's extraordinary skill in manipulating perspective and light. 

Standing within it feels like stepping into another reality.

For even as Whistler put the finishing touches to his masterpiece at Mottisfont, the storm clouds of war were gathering over Europe. 

The idyllic world of country house parties and artistic commissions was drawing to a close.

 With the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, life across Britain was transformed. 

Rex Whistler, despite his flourishing artistic career and sophisticated persona, felt the call of duty. 

He volunteered for the British Army and, foregoing any potential 'safe' role his connections might have secured, sought active service. He was commissioned as an officer into the prestigious Welsh Guards.

The sensitive artist, known for his charm and delicate brushwork, adapted to the rigours of military life, eventually becoming a tank commander. 

The hand that could conjure illusions of stone and smoke now gripped the controls of a Cromwell tank. 

His letters home during this period reveal his characteristic wit and observational skill, but also the underlying gravity of the situation.

In June 1944, the Allied forces launched the D-Day landings, the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany. 

Whistler's battalion, the 2nd Armoured Welsh Guards, prepared to join the fight. 

On June 27, they embarked from Gosport, bound for the landing beaches of Arromanches in Normandy. 

Whistler went ashore, leading his troop of tanks into the fierce battles raging in the Normandy bocage – the dense hedgerow country that proved so challenging for armoured warfare.

Just a few weeks later, on July 18, 1944, during a determined advance near Caen, tragedy struck. 

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Whistler's tank troop came under heavy enemy fire. As he dismounted his Cromwell tank, attempting to direct his men or perhaps establish radio contact with headquarters amid the chaos, a German mortar bomb landed perilously close. 

Rex Whistler was killed instantly. He was just 39 years old.

The news of his death sent shockwaves through both the art world and the military. 

Here was a rare talent, brimming with potential, cut down in his prime. Tributes poured in, mourning the loss of his unique artistic vision, his charm, and his courage. 

He was laid to rest in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery at Banneville-la-Campagne in Normandy, not far from where he fell, a permanent resident of the French soil he had helped to liberate.

Back in England, Mottisfont Abbey, like so many grand country houses, had also been requisitioned for the war effort. Its tranquil rooms, including perhaps the newly finished drawing room, were transformed into a military hospital, equipped to care for up to 80 wounded servicemen. 

The house that had witnessed centuries of peace and prayer, then fashionable society, now bore witness to the suffering and resilience brought by global conflict.

After the war, the Russells returned to Mottisfont, but the world had changed. 

In 1957, recognising the immense responsibility of maintaining such a historic estate, they made the generous decision to gift Mottisfont Abbey and its grounds to the National Trust, ensuring its preservation for future generations. 

Under the Trust's stewardship, the house and gardens have flourished. 

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A significant development came in 1972 when Graham Stuart Thomas, the renowned horticulturist, established his celebrated collection of old-fashioned shrub roses within Mottisfont's walled gardens, adding another layer of beauty and international fame to the site.

But all the while, Rex Whistler's drawing room remains Mottisfont's most poignant interior feature. It stands as his final major completed work, a masterpiece frozen in time, created in the last moments of peace before the deluge.