News from Athelhampton House & Gardens.

As we slip into autumn, we're seeing more rainy weather at Athelhampton House & Gardens, for which the plants (and gardeners!) are grateful. Walking through the Victorian Kitchen Garden at Athelhampton, this picture was taken moments after it had been raining. As if by magic, the rain that had been falling at Athelhampton just moments before stopped, the clouds slipped away and a bright blue sky appeared. The only clue to what had gone before was the shine of moisture still l

If you want to visit both Athelhampton House & Gardens and Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens this summer, and save money while doing so, now is your opportunity! Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens, one of Dorset's top attractions While Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens are known for their exotic planting, winding pathways and thousands of fascinating plants from around the world, Athelhampton's gardens are far more formal, with a historic setting, and more in the way of native species.

Grey skies settled over Athelhampton House & Gardens this evening, bringing the promise of much needed rain that had been forecast all day. After weeks of hot, dry weather, our lawns have taken on their summer golden tones, and the gardens are quietly hoping for a gentle soaking. Just a few miles away, the rain fell, but here the clouds drifted on without a single drop. We’ll keep hoping that the next shower finds its way to Athelhampton. Athelhampton House & Gardens are open

As a historic house, with equally historic gardens, we're particularly keen to protect our heritage at Athelhampton House & Gardens. Sometimes that means preserving things perfectly, as they always have been. At other times, that requires us to make alterations: keeping things the same isn't always the best way to protect them. And sometimes, returning things to the way they once were is impossible. Planting Lavender at Athelhampton House & Gardens Three years ago, we were de

Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey has met with mixed opinions from staff at Athelhampton House & Gardens, with some thoroughly enjoying this new adaptation, while others arguing that it's historically inaccurate, and has been modernised too much. Still from Nolan's The Odyssey, 2026 The ancient Greek and Roman myths, especially the Homeric epics, have fascinated us since they were first created. Through the Renaissance, when Athelhampton was built and added to, there was a rene

Most visitors to the Little Library at Athelhampton House & Gardens these days haven’t heard of Percy F. Westerman, and don't know why so many of his books sit on the shelves in this room. A prolific writer of boys adventure stories through the first half of the 20th Century, Westerman averaged 3.6 books a year over the course of 50 years. He spent much of his life living in a houseboat in Wareham, not far from Athelhampton. Percy F. Westerman, from a British Pathe film His w

The news this week has been all over the fact that Nigel Farage is wanting to resign as an MP, is resigning as MP, and has resigned as MP, so that he can trigger a by-election. The issue with all of these headlines is that it's not actually permitted for MPs to resign from their posts. And the other obvious question you may have is "What does any of this have to do with Athelhampton House & Gardens?" Back in the 1620s, being an MP wasn't very desirable. While Parliament wasn'

If you've visited the shop at Athelhampton House & Gardens recently, or even just popped into our restaurant, you'll have noticed that we have some new things you can buy! Gyb wants his cattuccino Inspired by our favourite fluffy friend, we now have all manner of things themed around Gyb the Cat. From mugs, to cards, to jigsaw puzzles and colouring books, if you like cats (or if you like Gyb in particular) there's something for you! Athelhampton House & Gardens are open 7 day

In a blow for international visitors to Athelhampton, Brittany Ferries announced on Tuesday that it was going to sell Barfleur, the ferry which serves the Poole-Cherbourg route, closing the service in November. This isn't the first time she's been withdrawn from the Poole-Cherbourg route, and she was briefly acquired by LD Lines in 2012-2013 for their Dover-Calais route, but ultimately never ran that route before Brittany Ferries took her back again. This time, though, it see

Nearly 200 years ago, the owner of Athelhampton House & Gardens, the fabulously wealthy Catherine Tylney Long, was courted by Robert "Romeo" Coates, an actor famed for his performances as Romeo. This July, come and see Romeo and Juliet performed as outdoor theatre at Athelhampton House & Gardens. Back in the early nineteenth century, Athelhampton House & Gardens were owned by the wealthiest commoner in England: Catherine Tylney Long. As a woman with a fabulously large fortune

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