Open All Year Round Near Dorchester
- Juliet Braidwood
- Apr 13
- 1 min read
Updated: Apr 21
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 their beautiful gardens and their informative house tours letting you explore a property that has many parallels with Athelhampton. A visit to one is always complemented by a visit to the other.
Kingston Lacy also opened in March. They're slightly more modern than us at Athelhampton, with the house as we see it today created by William John Bankes in the 19th Century. Like us, they have Italianate gardens, though their art collection is far grander.
Sherbourne Castle, another close contemporary of ours, reopened on the 1st of April. Built by Sir Walter Raleigh in the late 16th century, what started out as a relatively small lodge grew extensions as time went on, much like Athelhampton.
Athelhampton is open all year round, near Dorchester, save a few days at Christmas.
