Mapperton House, Gardens & Wildlands

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Mapperton House, Gardens & Wildlands

Visit our historic house, gardens & wildlands in Dorset. Dog-friendly, Coach House Café and seasonal events. Open March - October.

The most romantic country house wedding venue all year round. Dorset's Most Spectacular Rewilding Project - Mapperton Wildlands! We are handing 450 acres of marginal farmland back to nature and promoting regenerative agriculture across the rest of Mapperton Estate. As a result, we will deliver significant benefits for biodiversity, the environment, food production and – through Social Wilding & Volunteering – our wellbeing. Please join us on this journey by booking a Wildlands Tour, staying at Mapperton Camps, becoming a Social Wilder or telling your friends. We look forward to welcoming you here soon! Mapperton Gardens is a unique valley garden in West Dorset, in an area of outstanding natural beauty. The gardens surround the Jacobean manor house, stable blocks, dovecote and All Saints Church. Below the Orangery and croquet lawn is an Italianate formal garden with fountains, topiary, grottoes, ponds and stone statuary, laid out in the 1920s. Beyond this is a summer house overlooking two fish ponds leading to the Wild Garden. The Coach House café opens daily during the season for coffee, light lunches and afternoon teas. The gardens make an ideal setting for events, civil weddings, marquee receptions and photography. The Coach House café is also available for private functions. There is wheelchair access to the top levels of the garden, plants for sale and a gift shop (currently located in the café). Advance tickets for the Garden are available on our website: mapperton.com.

08/09/2026

NEW EVENT at Mapperton 🗡️

We are so excited to be hosting our first ever 'Living History Weekend' on Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th September.

Wander through a period camp, watch cooking and sewing demonstrations, see musket demonstrations and pike drills on the Croquet Lawn and witness the day's battle unfold across the grounds.

There is a full parade, cannons, period games for younger visitors and drums sounding across the estate all day.

Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th September | 10am to 5pm
Adults £10 | Children 5 to 15 £5 | Under 5s free

Book here: https://ecom.roller.app/mapperton/booknow/en/product/1362355?date=2026-09-26

📷: Images by Dave Clark

07/09/2026

When people hear Martha Ray's story the thing that always gets their attention is her murder - shot dead outside Covent Garden in 1779 at just 33 years old by a jealous ex-lover.

There was so much more to her than that.

Martha was one of the most celebrated sopranos of her time, a passionate lover of birds and despite being a mistress rather than a wife she established herself fully in society, known for her wit, her magnetism and her warmth.

Martha Ray features in Secrets of an English Country House: A Year at Mapperton.

Secure your copy before it is released on 24th September 📖: quarto.com/campaign/SecretsofanEnglishCountryHousePreorderCompetition

04/09/2026

We are delighted to be welcoming the Royal School of Needlework to Mapperton for a very special experience class on Friday 23rd October 🪡

Join tutor Deborah Wilding to learn gold and silk shading techniques while stitching a flower design inspired by an 18th century embroidered dress from the Earl of Sandwich Collection.

The day includes a highlights tour of the house and the chance to meet Julie, Countess of Sandwich, who will show you the historic apron dress and embroidery that inspired the class.

As the class falls on a Friday it is a rare opportunity to experience Mapperton House exclusively, away from our usual visiting days. Places are limited and available to book through the Royal School of Needlework.

Book here: https://royal-needlework.org.uk/product/mh105-gold-and-silk-shaded-flower-inspired-by-an-18th-century-embroidered-dress-at-mapperton-house-dorset-experience-class-copy/

02/09/2026

Travel back in time to 1645 at Mapperton this September ⚔️

Immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of the English Civil War as drums beat, muskets fire and pikemen form ranks across the estate.

Wander through a period camp and talk to the soldiers about how they lived, ate and fought. Watch the drill demonstrations up close and feel the ground shake when the cannon sounds.

Our living history weekend at Mapperton is history you can smell, hear and stand right in the middle of.

Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th September | 10am to 5pm
Adults £10 | Children 5 to 15 £5 | Under 5s free

Book here: https://ecom.roller.app/mapperton/booknow/en/product/1362355?date=2026-09-26

Images: Dave Clark

01/09/2026

There is a secret door hidden in this Tudor manor house and we are about to show you where... 🗝️

Hidden behind the Georgian paneling in the drawing room at Mapperton is a secret cupboard that no visitor ever sees on a house tour.

Behind it stands the original Tudor entrance to the garden, blocked up when the house was remodelled but never removed - it has been there since the 1540s.

It is our reminder that this house has been keeping secrets for centuries and this month we are revealing all of them.

The new book, Secrets of an English Country House: A Year at Mapperton, is out on 24th September.

Pre-order before 23rd September and you will receive a signed downloadable bookplate, three months of free Mapperton Live membership, entry into a draw to win one of 100 places in a live Q&A with Julie and a Christmas card posted to you personally by Luke and Julie in December.

Pre-order here: https://www.quarto.com/campaign/SecretsofanEnglishCountryHousePreorderCompetition

30/08/2026

Something old, something new and something that tells the story of this remarkable Tudor manor house.

From the Montagu family tiara to the Rory Hutton x Mapperton collection - both are woven into the history of Mapperton.

The West Room dates back to the 1640s and it needs restoring. Every scarf and pocket square sold goes directly toward that restoration.

So many of you have supported our restoration projects over the years which is why we wanted to give something back - instead of simply making a donation, you take home a hand-illustrated piece of Italian silk, and when people walk through that restored historic room in a hundred years’ time your name will be part of the story of how it happened.

The collection is strictly limited and will not be repeated. We are now over two thirds sold out.

🔗: https://mapperton.com/rory-hutton-x-mapperton/

29/08/2026

Just a reminder that Mapperton House and Gardens is open Bank Holiday Sunday and Monday!

If you are still looking for things to do in Dorset this Bank Holiday weekend, come and see us in Beaminster.

Gardens, house tours, Chip and Willow's Wildland Adventure Trail and the Coach House Café are all waiting for you. Free parking on site and dogs welcome.

Book here: https://ecom.roller.app/mapperton/booknow/en/home

27/08/2026

Looking for a family day out in Dorset this Bank Holiday weekend? 🌞

Mapperton House and Gardens in Beaminster is open this Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday. Join one of our guided house tours through one of the most beautiful historic manor houses in West Dorset, wander 15 acres of stunning gardens and explore 1000 acres of Wildlands at your own pace.

For little ones, Chip and Willow's Wildland Adventure Trail is running with six nature activities to complete across the estate for just £5 per child.

Round off the day at the Coach House Café, serving food made with fresh produce from our own kitchen garden. Free parking on site and dogs welcome too 🐾

Open Bank Holiday Sunday and Monday | House tours at 11am, 12pm, 1pm and 2pm

Book here: https://manage.roller.app/manage/bookings

Images: Jak Howard

26/08/2026

Mother died peacefully on Tuesday October 23rd 1951. The last entry in this book.

People have been journalling for centuries. Writing things down to process, to remember, to leave something of themselves behind.

Alberta Sturges, an American Gilded Age heiress who became the 9th Countess of Sandwich, was no different.

She carried this tiny devotional book with her for most of her adult life, filling it with prayers, pressed flowers, handwritten notes and clippings spanning decades.

The difference is that hers survived 120 years and found its way into the archive at Mapperton House, one of England’s most extraordinary historic houses.

The final entry is not hers, it is her daughter’s. Just one line, and then, nothing.

Follow for more stories from Mapperton 🪶

25/08/2026

Not your average family day out ⚔️

This September we are hosting a Living History Weekend at Mapperton!

A full English Civil War reenactment across the estate with period camps to explore, cooking and sewing demonstrations, musket fire, pike drills, drumming on the Croquet Lawn and a full battle unfolding across the grounds.

There is a parade, period games for younger visitors and drums sounding all day.

Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th September | 10am to 5pm
Adults £10 | Children 5 to 15 £5 | Under 5s free

Book here: https://ecom.roller.app/mapperton/booknow/en/product/1362355?date=2026-09-26

Images: Dave Clark

Address

Mapperton House & Gardens, Mapperton
Beaminster
DT83NR

Telephone

01308 862 645

Website

http://mapperton.com/

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