News from Athelhampton House & Gardens.

When you go round Athelhampton House & Gardens, it's always worth looking up. Hidden details feature in almost every ceiling around the house, and the library is no exception. Alfred Carte de Lafontaine refurbished the room in 1893, stripping out the internal walls to create his "Long Gallery," where he could display his antiques. To complement these objects, many of them Tudor and Stuart in origin, he had the room decorated in a suitable style. The ceiling is heavily decorat

Fairly small and unnoticed, compared to the rainbow of the stained glass or the splendour of the roof, two Green Men sit above two doorways in the medieval Great Hall at Athelhampton House & Gardens. A Green Man in Athelhampton's Great Hall We're not sure how old these two particular "foliate faces" are: they may be contemporary with the rest of the 15th century screen they're attached too, or possibly they were added by Alfred Carte de Lafontaine, when he sourced the screen

The newly refurbished art gallery at Athelhampton is a space designed for local artists to exhibit their work, and these temporary exhibitions change regularly. Our new artist, who was installed yesterday, is Silvia Pineda. The Mexican born daughter of a jeweller and a sculptor, artistry runs in Silvia's blood. She's exhibited her paintings in our art gallery before, with her vibrant blend of colour and movement offering a lively contemporary contrast within Athelhampton's hi

In the current hot weather, a visit to Hardy's Cottage, surrounded by shady woodland, felt appropriate. Another visitor attraction local to Athelhampton, Hardy's Cottage has a very different history. Hardy's Cottage with its Cottage Garden A small cob and thatch building, Hardy was still living here when he wrote Far From the Madding Crowd, a novel that is essentially set in Puddletown and at Athelhampton, though both go by different names in the book. In his descriptions of

Looking back through the visitor guidebooks for Athelhampton that have been produced since the 1960s this morning has proved to be a fascinating way of seeing not just how knowledge advances over time, but also how tastes change! 60 years of guidebooks at Athelhampton Research into Athelhampton, the house, and the families who lived here is constantly ongoing: it's only in the last month that we discovered an extra family who briefly owned Athelhampton, meaning that we need t

The focal point when looking at the stained glass at Athelhampton House and Gardens is often the ape. He is eye-catching, after all, and in some ways mysterious. Visitors exploring this historic Tudor house and gardens in Dorset are often drawn to the heraldic details and centuries of history found throughout the house. We will never know whether the Martyn family, who he belonged to as a heraldic crest, owned a pet ape, or whether he is merely symbolic. And the motto is argu

At Athelhampton House & Gardens, visitors can explore more than 20 historic rooms filled with original Tudor features. Among the most striking are the stained glass windows, which bring colour, craftsmanship and centuries of family history vividly to life. Glass is integral to Athelhampton's history, and not just because of the windows that can still be seen today. Stained glass in the oriel window at Athelhampton Stained glass manufacture in England dates back to at least th

Every historic house or stately home you visit is different, especially those that are part of the Historic Houses Association. Some Dorset houses, like Mapperton House and Sherborne Castle, let you go around as part of a guided tour, giving you personalised information and allowing you to ask questions of a guide as you go along. This is an amazing way of spotting small details, and aspects of a house that you might never otherwise have noticed, and is also a wonderful way o

Not very long ago, the Billiard Table in the Library at Athelhampton was almost impossible to play on. The fabric covering its surface wasn't just worn and faded with play and exposure to sunlight. It had suffered from major tears, meaning that the balls would no longer roll true. However, with the imminent arrival of the Oxford and Cambridge Club in Pall Mall to play snooker in our historic Dorset library at Athelhampton, something had to be done! There was no way for them t

For all that many people think of the Tudors (and, indeed, many of our ancestors in other periods) as being dirty or unhygienic, in reality, they placed a great deal of importance on cleanliness and washing. One piece of evidence for this lives in the silver safe at Athelhampton - one of more than 20 historic rooms open to the public. The pottery aquamanile, depicting a knight on horseback, used for washing hands before dinner This strange looking piece of pottery, showing an

Being open all year round can be lonely at times, especially when our friends at other historic properties close through the winter. Still, as we move through spring, other Historic Houses are beginning to open up again, giving HHA members and other visitors lots of options for places to visit in Dorset. National Trust and English Heritage locations are also beginning to open back up again. Our closest neighbour, Mapperton, has been open since the first of March, with both th

As part of a huge investment in Athelhampton's potential, we've doubled the number of house stewards at Athelhampton this season. With visitor numbers picking up as we move from Winter into Spring, it's important to ensure that each of our guests receives contact time with our stewards - able to ask questions, and gain a more personal experience tailored to their interests, and what they want to find out. Like all those who work on site, the house stewards at Athelhampton are

With visitor numbers picking up as we move from Winter into Spring, we're becoming increasingly busy. With cruises, tours, and independent travellers, the many international visitors at Athelhampton make up a significant proportion of our guests, exploring the house and gardens. While many are able to speak English in addition to their native tongue, there are certain nuances of language that make it worth everyone's while to have our visitor interpretation translated. Our sh

It's now 50 years since Athelhampton starred in Doctor Who. With Tom Baker as the Doctor and Elisabeth Sladen as his companion, this particular episode featured scientists in Antarctica, a crazed millionaire, and mysterious plants. Athelhampton played the home of reclusive, eccentric, plant-obsessed millionaire Harrison Chase, who has used violent henchmen to acquire the seed pod of a mysterious, malignant alien plant. The Doctor and Sarah Jane infiltrate his estate in an eff

Due to popular demand and increased visitor numbers, from the beginning of March, Athelhampton House has been opening an hour earlier than we were in the winter. Our new opening times at Athelhampton result in the house opening at 10 instead of 11, so you can wander around and explore inside as soon as you arrive, rather than meandering through the gardens first. Not only does this mean that you've got even more time to explore over 20 rooms open in the house, it also means w

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

As you explore over 20 rooms at Athelhampton, there’s the chance to step into the world of one of England’s most enduring melodies, with the Greensleeves Project Exhibition. Associated with all manner of things, from Henry VIII to ice cream vans, there’s the chance at Athelhampton to discover the truth behind this evocative piece of Tudor music. The words and gifts of the rejected lover are brought to life here, with the exquisitely reconstructed Tudor clothing created by ski

At Athelhampton, the Marriage Chamber has been quietly enhanced. One of more than twenty rooms open to the public, it now welcomes an early seventeenth century Flemish tapestry, newly rehung after many years on the minstrels’ gallery in the Great Hall. The tapestry itself seems to show a pastoral setting, with a scene of a man returning from the hunt. The Tudor bedroom brings together layers of history. Rich Tudor panelling, A fifteenth century Italian Savonarola chair, an

An exciting day at Athelhampton… In the early morning, before the house stirred and long before our visitors arrived, the medieval Great Hall echoed with industry. Three orange clad figures appeared, and piece by piece, a modern metal structure was erected, in sharp contrast with the ancient beams sheltering the hall. After careful planning and the necessary permissions, we are beginning a project that gently reverses a change made some three hundred years ago, allowing the h

We wish a Merry Christmas to all our friends and visitors. The Christmas Tree in the Tudor Great Hall at Athelhampton House Dorset is cold, calm, and full of winter light, the kind that feels quietly enchanted. Not a white Christmas at Athelhampton, but a soft golden one, sunlight glimmering into the Great Hall beside the Christmas tree. Dorset's finest Tudor manor house will be open to welcome you again from the 27th