Owen Davies

Jan 31, 20221 min

Our fabulous oriel window

Martyn’s Ape at Athelhampton in stained and painted glass, photographed in our fabulous oriel window The ancient emblem of William Martyn, who built the Tudor Hall at Athelhampton in 1485. In reality, he is most likely a Barbary ape, though not an ape at all, but a monkey, the Barbary macaque. Native to North Africa, owning such a pet would have been considered a high status symbol for a family in Tudor times.

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