News from Athelhampton House & Gardens.

The team at Athelhampton have spent this week getting ready for what is sure to be a busy May bank holiday weekend. The gardens are blooming in the sunshine, and we're generating so much power with our solar panels we're exporting plenty to the grid. Roses blooming at Athelhampton House So, we're now able to do a great deal for anyone who drives an electric vehicle! Solar panels powering the free EV charging at Athelhampton If you visit Athelhampton this weekend, when you go

News that plans for a new hotel in Dorchester town centre have been cancelled has generated considerable local interest, particularly at a time when the area is seeing strong visitor demand. Dorchester’s former M&S site, where plans for a new hotel have recently been withdrawn, highlighting the evolving landscape of the town as a gateway to Dorset. The proposed development, which would have brought over 100 additional bedrooms and created around 30 jobs, had received planning

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

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

It's been a busy weekend at Athelhampton, as a new room opened to the public. The East Wing attic has been renovated over the last 6 months, and is now open as an art gallery. As well as art on display, the room has some fabulous views over the gardens that haven't been seen by our visitors in years! The gallery was opened by Simon Hoare MP, with Arthur Neal as our first artist exhibiting over 75 works. The team at Athelhampton faced many challenges completing this project on

The Silver Safe at Athelhampton has just reopened after a week of renovations. It is the smallest of the 20 historic rooms open to the public. Athelhampton was purchased in 1660 by Sir Robert Long, (treasurer to Queen Henrietta Maria) he was a wealthy landowner and had many estates in Dorset, London, Wiltshire and Yorkshire. In the 1750s his descendants spent time at all their various estates. This may have been when this room was added, enabling valuable silverware to be lo

Oddly not a photograph of Athelhampton to start this post. Instead an archive photograph of the Riley-Smith Hall in Tadcaster. I hear you asking why? Well, it’s complicated. In 1890 a Yorkshire solicitor’s daughter, Mary Bromet married Frank Riley-Smith who, with his brother, owned John Smith’s brewery in Tadcaster. Frank died in 1912, and left his considerable wealth and share of the brewery to his wife Mary, who would remarry a few years later. Mary and her new husband, Geo

This weekend will see the Dorset Food & Drink Winter Food Fair at Athelhampton House, with Early Bird tickets available from our website for only £5! Tomorrow and Sunday, from 10am-3pm, Athelhampton's grounds will be filled with festive cheer, as stallholders and local producers gather together to sell food and gifts, while live music will be playing throughout. Buying things from the Food Fairs at Athelhampton enables you to directly interact with and support local producers