News from Athelhampton House & Gardens.

Giving birth was one of the most dangerous things a woman could do in Medieval and Renaissance England: it was the leading cause of death for women, with as many as 1 in 40 women dying in childbirth. So what might a woman living in this Dorset Tudor Manor of Athelhampton do to try to stay safe at this time? Preparations for giving birth started early, with the lying-in period beginning up to six weeks before the prospective mother gave birth. The Marriage Chamber at Athelhamp

Winter rests over Athelhampton’s gardens, and the old stones of the historic dovecote keep their silence. Despite its quiet, the gardeners carry on working around this ancient building. Secateurs whisper through thorn and stem, each careful cut placing faith in a season yet to come. A variety of Roses, carefully trained by the gardening team, covering the old stone walls of the Dovecote With pared back borders, and a soft grey sky above, it would be easy to think the garden s

On a rainy day at Athelhampton, there is nothing quite like a quiet rummage through our archive. Some of our photographs date from around 1850, from the earliest years of photography itself. Today’s pairing takes us back exactly a century, to 1926, when the historic gardens were opened to the public for the very first time by George and Mary Cochrane. The original Parterre and Yew Pyramids established in the Great Court in the late 1800’s Then, the yew pyramids punctuated the