Visiting Athelhampton House & Gardens
Planning a day out in Dorset? Athelhampton House & Gardens is open daily throughout the year, offering one of the most complete historic house experiences in the region. Explore over twenty rooms, five acres of formal gardens, and enjoy a relaxed visit at your own pace.
​Restaurant & Shop
9.30am to 5pm every day
open to visitors and public
​
Gardens
10am to 5pm every day
last admissions at 4pm*
​
House
10am to 5pm every day
last admissions at 4pm*
​
EV Charging
24 hours, 7 days a week
pay at the charger
​​​​​
*For your safety, last admission moves with sunset, to 3.30pm in December and January.
Restaurant last orders are one hour after last admssions.
Athelhampton is closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Eve, New Years Day & 2nd January.
Tickets & Admission
House & Gardens
Adult £22.50
Student £16.50
Child £5.00
Infant free
Carer free
Historic Houses free
Groups £14.50
Schools £8.00
Gardens
Adult £15.00
Student £11.50
Child free
Infant free
Carer free
​​Historic Houses free​
RHS free​ (Saturday only)
Dogs £1.00
​​​
Admission to Athelhampton House & Gardens includes free-flow access to the house and gardens with guided tours available at no extra cost
Visitors are welcome to explore at their own pace and return between house and gardens during their visit.
Adult is 18 years old and over, Student is 14 to 17 or over 17 with ID, Child is 5 to 13, and an Infant is under 5 years old.
All membership cards must be valid on the day of visiting including Historic Houses members and RHS members.
Group admission for 12 or more visitors and School admission prices are for 24 or more children when pre-booked.
Opening Times at Athelhampton
Open daily, year round near Dorchester in Dorset
Visiting with a Carer
If you require assistance from a carer to visit Athelhampton House & Gardens or attend an event, a complimentary carer’s pass is available to support your visit.
​
You will pay the standard admission rate (Adult, Student, or Child), and your carer will be admitted free of charge.
​​
Proof of Eligibility
to recieve a free carer's pass, please bring one of the following:
​
-
Credibility’s Access Card with +1 symbol.
-
Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children under 16 (award letter or allowance book).
-
Personal Independent Payments (PIP) or DLA for those aged 16-64 (award letter or allowance book).
-
Attendance Allowance or Personal Assistants / Carer’s Allowance award letter.
-
Incapacity Benefit or Employment and Support Allowance (award letter or allowance book).
-
Certificate of Visual impairment, or BD8 registration card.
-
A Dorset Council registration document.
A blue badge is not accepted as proof of eligibility.
​
If you purchase discounted tickets online, simply present your supporting documentation at reception on arrival and a carer’s pass will be issued.
​
Visiting as a Group
Athelhampton House & Gardens welcomes groups from across the UK and around the world, offering a relaxed and memorable visit in one of Dorset’s finest historic settings.
​
With over twenty rooms to explore, a rich collection of antique furnishings and paintings, and more than 500 years of history, the house provides a fascinating and rewarding experience for group visits.
​
The five acres of formal gardens include four walled gardens, the iconic yew pyramids of the Great Court, extensive herbaceous borders, pools, ponds, fountains, and an Edwardian kitchen garden, offering interest throughout the seasons.
​
Group Admission
We offer discounted rates for pre-booked groups of 12 or more visitors:
​
House & Gardens £15.00 per person
​
Gardens Only £12.50 per person
​
Enhancing Your Visit
Visits are self-guided, allowing groups to explore at their own pace. A range of optional extras is available to enhance your visit, including guided tours, introductory talks, and group catering packages.
​​​
Visiting as School
A school trip to Athelhampton is a unique experience for children of any age, it brings learning outside the classroom and covers a wide variety of curriculum subjects, not just Tudor history.
​​
We make a charge of £200 for up to 24 children, and £8.00 for each additional child. There is no charge for teachers, teaching assistants or chaperones. The charge includes admission to Athelhampton, a dedicated classroom for meetings, storing bags, and eating packed lunches, our Education Guide and printed learning materials
​​
Athelhampton hosts school visits in November & February on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
​​
Travel to Athelhampton
Athelhampton is located between Puddletown and Tolpuddle with excellent road links.
Postcode: DT2 7LG
what3words: ///places.outs.amaze
Latitude: 50° 44' 51.36" N
Longitude: -2° 19' 36.12" W
​​
By Road on the A35 from Dorchester Poole, or A354 from Blandford follow our brown signs at the "Northbrook" junction, and turn left at the traffic lights in Puddletown.
​
By Train Dorchester has two stations, with Taxi service from Dorchester South (London Waterloo, Southampton, Bournemouth, Weymouth etc.) a short walk from Dorchester West (Swindon, Bristol, Yeovil, etc).
​
By Bus you will need the CR9 service between Dorchester and Blandford, Athelhampton is a request stop with 3 buses in each direction on a weekday.
It is possible to use the CR8 service between Weymouth and Blandford, this service brings you to Puddletown, 1 mile away with 5 buses on weekdays and Saturdays.
​
​
Guide for Visiting
Accessibility
Both the Athelhampton House and the Gardens are historic Grade 1 listed sites, which offers some natural limitations as we are unable to alter the historic buildings for a visitor with a disability.
Our team receives disability awareness training to help you have a great day at Athelhampton.
​
The entrance, visitor centre, shop, toilets, and restaurant are all accessible. We have ramps available to overcome some impassable steps into the House and Garden, which can be deployed upon request.
​
The house's rooms are spread over three floors, with the majority of the rooms on the ground floor. There is no lift to access the first floor, but the stewards have visual aids for those who can't manage the stairs.
Due to the wide variety of requirements, we don't offer wheelchairs or motorised scooters for use.
​​
​
​
Parking​
The car park at Athelhampton is free to use for visitors to the House, Gardens, Shop and Restaurant.
​
10 Electric Vehicle charging points are provided for anyone to use, a small charge per Kwh applies.
​
There are 3 dedicated Coach bays and accessible parking is available close to the visitor centre main entrance, though with a large site, we favour accessibility rather than proximity.
​
As the car park is private property, overnight parking is only allowed when charging an EV. Overnight camping is not permitted
​
​
Photography & Filming​
Photography and Filming within the House is no longer permitted (27th November 2025).
​
Athelhampton is private property, a registered trademark, and the House and Gardens contain items subject to both our and other's copyright. You must not photograph or film for any use, financial gain, or public viewing without seeking a license or release from the Estate office.
​
​
​
Safety and Security​
Athelhampton records CCTV images for the security of our staff, visitors, and estate.
​
Barriers, closed doors and staff-only areas should not be entered.
​
Children & Infants must be accompanied at all times.
​
The gardens have deep water-filled ponds and a fast-flowing river, great care should be taken when close to their edges.
The gardens have a range of plants, some of which can be toxic or cause allergic reactions if touched.
Some fruits and vegetables may be grown for their ornamental looks, but may not be edible in raw form, and therefore, no fruit or vegetables should be consumed.
​
Please do not take cuttings, seed pods, flowers, etc, without invitation of the Head Gardener.
Dogs
Well-behaved dogs are welcome in the restaurant and garden but must be kept on a short lead at all times, we allow two dogs per adult, and a small charge of £1 is made to cover the cost of maintaining the poo bin.
​
Dogs are allowed in the Coach House visitor centre and the public restaurant. Dogs are not permitted in the historic house or Long Hall restaurant except for guide dogs.