CARVERY
SHOPPING
BAG
Opening Times
Open 7 days a week, all year around:
High Season
March through to the end of October
Restaurant & Shop - 10am to 5pm
Gardens - 10am to 5pm
House - 11am to 5pm
last admissions to the House at 4pm
Low Season
November to the end of February
Restaurant & Shop - 10am to 4pm
Gardens - 10am to 4pm
House - 11am to 4pm
last admissions to the House at 3pm
closed between Christmas & New Year
Admission Charges
House & Gardens:
Adult - £18.00
Student - £15.00
Child - Free or £5.00
Group - £12.00
HH Members - Free
Carer - Free
Gardens:
Adult - £12.00
Student - £9.00
Child - Free
Dog - £1.00
HH Members -Free
Carer - Free
Historic Houses Members
Athelhampton is proud to be a member of the Historic Houses, the association for independent and privately owned houses in the UK.
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Your HH membership allows free entry at Athelhampton and a 5% discount in our shop and restaurant. With a membership, you can visit houses, castles, and gardens, large and small throughout the UK.
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Currently, you can only join online at the Historic Houses website, click the link to open a new page, and use our special code ATHE63 for £5.oo discount
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Group Visits​
Athelhampton is the ideal venue for your group visit, with special discounted admission for pre-booked groups of 12 or more.
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Our usual offer is self-guided around the House and Gardens, however, you can book one of our senior team for a talk or tour about our history, the furnishings, or our garden. If your group has a special interest we will happily discuss your specific requirements
Our restaurant offers swift table service, or in our private dining room, we offer a range of group catering options to make your visit easy to organise.
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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
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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.
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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).
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By Bus you will need the 187 service between Dorchester and Blandford, Athelhampton is a request stop with 3 buses in each direction on a weekday.
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Accessibility
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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 assist you in having a great day at Athelhampton.
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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. We do not offer the use of wheelchairs or motorised scooters.
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The rooms of the house are spread over two floors, there is no lift to access the first floor, but the stewards have visual aids for those who can't manage the stairs.
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An accessibility guide is available for download.
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Visiting with a Carer
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If you need assistance from a carer to visit Athelhampton, then you can apply for a carer's pass to give them free admission to support you.
You will pay the standard rate for an Adult, Student, or Child, and will need to provide one of the following documents to receive the carer's pass.
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Credibility’s Access Card with +1 symbol.
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Entitlement to Disability Living Allowance for children under 16 (award letter or allowance book).
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DLA / Personal Independent Payments (PIP) for those aged 16-64 (award letter or allowance book).
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Attendance Allowance or Personal Assistants / Carer’s Allowance award letter.
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Incapacity Benefit or Employment and Support Allowance (award letter or allowance book).
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Certificate of Visual impairment, or BD8 registration card.
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A Dorset Council registration document.
A blue badge is not accepted.
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You can buy your ticket online and then present your document at reception when you arrive. If you don't have suitable documentation, a discounted rate will be offered.
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Shopping
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Athelhampton has a delightful shop that sells a range of local food, drink, toys, books, souvenirs, postcards, and greetings cards. The shop also sells items on behalf of local artists and artisans. You can visit the shop without paying admission.​
During the Spring and Summer we sell a range of plants, many grown at Athelhampton or selected by the Head Gardener.
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Our online shop sells a range of limited items including gift cards and the Anne of Athelhampton books, and ships internationally
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Eating Out
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Athelhampton has two restaurants that you can visit without paying admission.
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The Coach House offers morning coffee, lunch, and afternoon tea, and is open daily.
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The Long Hall offers a Sunday carvery from October to March/April.
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There is a delightful picnic area that visitors to the Gardens can use, we ask you to take any rubbish with you so that you can recycle it at home.
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Parking
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The car park at Athelhampton is provided for visitors to the House, Gardens, Shop and Restaurant.
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For the 2024 season, 10 Electric Vehicle charging points will be provided for anyone to use.
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There are 3 dedicated Coach bays and accessible parking is available close to the Coach House's main entrance, though with a large site, we favour accessibility rather than proximity.
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As the car park is private property, overnight parking and camping is not permitted, and the car park may be locked closed at night.
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Photography
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You are encouraged to take photographs around the House and Gardens for personal use. You may share images on social media, please show us by using the tag @athelhampton.
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Please do not use flash, flying drones, selfie sticks, or take photographs of other visitors or staff without their permission.
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As Athelhampton is private property you must not use photographs for commercial use or financial gain, without seeking a license or release from the Estate office.
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Dogs
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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.
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Dogs are not permitted in the house except for guide dogs.
Safety and Security
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Athelhampton records CCTV images for the security of our staff, visitors, and estate.
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Barriers, closed doors and staff-only areas should not be entered.
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Children must be accompanied at all times.
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The gardens have deep water-filled ponds and a fast-flowing river. 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 not be consumed without invitation.
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Please do not take cuttings, seed pods, flowers without invitation.