News from Athelhampton House & Gardens.

Harvest time at Athelhampton. In the historic kitchen garden, the beds are still brimming with life, beets, celeriac, kale, turnips, chard, leeks, carrots, and a large crop of pumpkins, all destined for our kitchen for the restaurant and Sunday carvery. A variety of Pumpkins and Squash being harvest from the Kitchen Garden The Tudor Martyn family of Athelhampton would have been very familiar with the season, though some of these vegetables might have been more familiar to the

Visit Athelhampton this autumn, and you’ll see pears ripening in the gardens, and glowing too in the stained glass of the Great Hall. The pears appear in the arms of Elizabeth Kelway, who around 1530 married Robert Martyn of Athelhampton. Her family’s coat of arms shows four golden pears and a pair of grozing irons, the delicate tools once used by glaziers to shape stained glass. It bears a very strong resemblance to that of the Worshipful Company of Glaziers and Painters of

Crates upon crates of delicious homegrown Apples It’s apple harvest time at Athelhampton! We expect to gather at least 3 tonnes of apples this season, from the apple trees spread around our historic kitchen garden. These will all be pressed by Bessie, our trusty hydraulic press. The gardening team hand picking Apples ready for juicing Once pressed the juice will be pasteurised, bottled on site, and served in our restaurant next year — truly orchard to table.

Salvia ‘Amistad’ and Crocosmia ‘George Davidson’ are putting on a vibrant September display in the herbaceous borders here at Athelhampton's Dorset garden. Salvia and Crocosmia displaying contrasting colours throughout the herbaceous borders We have over 1000ft of borders to explore in our stunning architectural gardens here at Athelhampton, and there's always something new to see, even as summer gives way to Autumn.

In Athelhampton's Corona garden, our deep red ‘Arabian Night’ dahlias are putting on a dramatic show. Dahlia ‘Arabian Night’ stealing the spotlight in the Corona Garden After today’s sunshine and showers, their petals glisten like velvet jewels in the rain. A perfect late-summer highlight in the gardens.

Dodging showers while walking down to the greenhouse at Athelhampton this morning, we found it bursting with colour! Rows of ripening tomatoes are thriving under the glass, cared for daily by our gardening team. 160 Tomato plants lining the Greenhouse in the Kitchen Garden From tiny sweet cherry tomatoes to large, juicy heritage varieties, there’s nothing quite like the sight (and taste!) of a bumper crop grown with patience and care. And you'll have the chance to try them, t

Earlier this year the gardening team replanted and extended much of the South Walk in Athelhampton's historic gardens, drawing inspiration from Gertrude Jekyll’s classic country garden style. Echinacea blooming in the newly established herbaceous borders With over 1000 feet of deep herbaceous borders to tend at Athelhampton, our gardening team are busy in this dry spell, watering and caring for every plant — and their hard work is paying off. Just look at this beautiful echin

In the gardens at Athelhampton, our ancient yews aren’t just trees - they’re living architecture. Precise work being carried out to maintain fabulous topiary Each summer, our hardworking gardeners climb, clip, and shape the 12 towering topiary pyramids and other yews into their iconic forms. It’s slow, patient work, often at height, with a few places where a ladder just won’t reach — though always done following strict health and safety procedures. Challenging but rewarding w

Live theatre at Athelhampton is another way to spend time with us, taking in not just the house and grounds but also seeing a story played out in front of you. It's a chance to disconnect from technology and the tedium of day-to-day life, and live in the moment. In two weeks' time, join us for an unforgettable summer evening when The Plandits will be performing The Big Bad Wolf. A rock and roll musical for the whole family, The Big Bad Wolf follows the scheming life of Fairyt

At Athelhampton the pale pink hydrangeas are starting to bloom, lining the front drive in a soft, romantic haze as you approach the old Tudor Manor House. The Hydrangea border brings hues of pink to the front of the Tudor Manor Hydrangeas have been cultivated for centuries - prized for their generous, ever-changing colours, which reflect the soil itself. Here in Dorset this summer, the delicate display as you approach the house is simple, but effective, drawing you in to the

A bright rose growing in a quiet corner of our gardens today served as a reminder of a some medieval history at Athelhampton. Medieval land ownership was complicated. After 1066, the Crown claimed all land and granted it out in layers. The Crown was the top layer, and by the 1100s, places like Christchurch Priory (the middle layer), held manors from the Crown to fund their work, while families like the Martins of Athelhampton, held the manor beneath that. The Martins held Ath

We grow much more than fruit and vegetables in our Kitchen Garden. Lupin ‘The Pages’ Running through centre of the 1 acre walled garden is the central axis, with rich deep herbaceous borders filled with pink and blue, to attract pollinators into the garden. Prickly Sea Holly These plants are varied through the seasons, but at the moment in Athelhampton's historic gardens you can come and see lupins, poppies, delphiniums, sea holly, and cornflowers amongst many others. Delphin

On a warm and humid day in Athelhampton's historic gardens, the gardening team have decided it's just a day for a refreshing dip in the water! Work - not play! The White Garden Pond surrounded by beautiful herbaceous planting Our eight ponds and eleven fountains are all fed from the River Piddle and each pond is teaming with life. The Gardening Team clearing blanket weed from the pond Our froglets have all climbed out, so our gardeners now hop in and give them a little tidy,

When you visit Athelhampton you will see that many of the walls of the Tudor House have pretty clumps of white, lavender and pink flowers of Erigeron, though we like to use its old English name, Fleabane. Hundreds of pink and white Erigeron flower heads dancing in the breeze 500 years ago the Tudor families at Athelhampton would have utilsed bouquets of dried fleabane which could be hung in a room or placed in a chest or coffer to deter fleas, flies and gnats. In times of a h

Yesterday afternoon the Head Gardener and Estate Manager spent an hour walking through Athelhampton's historic gardens. After the hot weather, they were checking on plant and tree health, and planning future projects. As they passed through The Great Court the calla lilies in the bog garden called for their attention, and they took these pictures. Calla lily, also known as arum lily, is not a true lily. It belongs to the genus Zantedeschia which originates from South Africa.

Around the historic gardens at Athelhampton the Wisteria are blooming, their cascading purple flowers releasing a lightly perfumed scent. As you explore, at the western side of the gardens is our 1-acre Edwardian Kitchen Garden, featuring brick walls and paths the central axis is filled with Laburnum with bright yellow flowers. Tomorrow, on Sunday the 11th of May, it is our Spring Plant Fair hosted by Plant Heritage. A huge range of nurseries and plant suppliers will be on th

There's just a week to go until Athelhampton’s Spring Market! More than 50 stalls have registered to attend so there will be plenty to see (and buy). Our Spring, Summer and Autumn markets are all FREE to attend so why not come along and have a look? Food, drink, confectionery, crafts and more, all from fabulous Wessex businesses. Exceptional local craftmanship will be on display, all from local makers. The restaurant is open, and admission charge to the House and Garden appli

Spring is beginning to bloom at Athelhampton. Yesterday’s sunshine bathed the gardens in warmth, bringing the blossoms to life against the walls of the greenhouse in our historic kitchen garden. It was the perfect glimpse of the season ahead. Here's to hoping for lots more bright and beautiful days like this, which show Athelhampton's historic gardens to their full advantage. Athelhampton is open all year round, save for a few days at Christmas. Now is the perfect time to com

A freezing and foggy welcome for our visitors at Athelhampton today! We took a quick wander through the gardens, and along the River Piddle this morning. The sun shining through a heavy haze of fog made everything feel eerie and slightly magical. Walking around Athelhampton often feels like stepping back in time, but with the fog muffling sight and sound, this feeling of time-travel was subtly enhanced. Fortunately the fog soon disappeared and Athelhampton's historic gardens

Snowdrops are popping up in Athelhampton's historic gardens, a sign that warmer weather is on its way (fingers crossed!) As well as the snowdrops there are more signs in the garden that spring is on its way, our first daffodils are flowering, I think that is the earliest I have ever seen them at Athelhampton. Our restaurant has a delicious Winter Warmer Menu running weekday lunchtimes until the end of February. A selection of main courses are available for just £5.99, includi