The library of Seymour's home is decorated with fabric from her new St. Catherine's Court collection.

HOME:

You have a new collection of furniture and accessories based on this house. Tell us about it.

JS:

It was built as a Benedictine monastery in 1950 and was originally named "St. Katerina, after St. Catherine, who was sainted because she was tortured on a wheel. We still have monks' cells in the lower level of the house.

HOME

So you send the kids there if they misbehave?

JS:

Oh, yea. But, seriously, it's an incredibly exciting house. We even have a stone church built in 1260 that's still standing and functioning with its own congregation.

HOME

Obviously people know you best as an actress and tend to associate you with romance. When did you acquire an interest in home decorating?

JS

One of the things people don't know about me is that between acting gigs I used to devote myself to decorating my home. I've decorated about nine houses, including much of this one, picking out every piece of furniture and fabric myself. 1ve ended up profitably selling every house I've owned. People would come in and offer me too much money for the house to refuse.

HOME:

You've had to accommodate different historic periods in decorating this house. Was that a challenge?

JS

The beauty of the house is that though much of it is Elizabethan there are many periods represented here. One room is Georgian; one Victorian. You can jump around the whole of British history. Although there were furnishings here when I bought it, I've added a lot much of it from around Bath, Which is a huge antiquing center.

HOME

What part of the hose is your favorite?

JS

My bedroom has great views of the entire property, including the church. The four-poster bed is very atmospheric-you're back in the time of Henry Vlll. I also love the orangery, which is a conservatory of sorts. I often paint there; the light is beautiful. In the summer the sun is out until 10 at night. And since in England we eat quite late we end up drinking cocktails until the sun goes down and then light candles for dinner. Nothing formal. We just cover the table with a beautiful fabric.

For more infor mation about Jane Seymour and her home collection log on to janeseymourhome.comz

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