What are the opening hours?

Monday 10am - 5pm Tuesday 10am - 5pm Wednesday 10am - 5pm Thursday 10am - 5pm Friday 10am - 5pm Saturday 10am - 5pm Sunday 10am - 5pm

Athelhampton House, Athelhampton House, Athelhampton, Dorchester (2026)

https://linktr.ee/athelhampton

Athelhampton House is a 15th Century Tudor Manor, in the heart of Dorset surrounded by award-winning formal gardens open to explore. Athelhampton is open all year around, with an occasional closure on a Saturday, and a short Christmas break, please see website for details.

05/08/2026

Tucked amongst the vegetables in Athelhampton’s 1-acre Edwardian Walled Kitchen Garden are around 40 apple trees, with heritage varieties including Cox’s Orange Pippin, Egremont Russet, Discovery, James Grieve and Blenheim Orange.

Each autumn the orchard rewards us with its harvest. Some of the apples find their way into our homemade Dorset apple cake, while the rest are carefully pressed and blended into the fresh apple juice served in our restaurant.

The long, dry summer is beginning to leave its mark. Our older trees are proving wonderfully resilient, but some of the younger ones are producing smaller fruit and shedding apples to conserve their strength.

A little gentle rain would be most welcome now, and with it the promise of a bountiful autumn harvest.

Athelhampton is open every day.

30/07/2026

Grey skies settled over Athelhampton this evening, bringing the promise of 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.

29/07/2026

To celebrate this week’s International Thomas Hardy Conference & Festival in Dorchester, we’re looking back at 10 Lovers, 50 Poems by Athelhampton’s owner, Giles Keating.

The project includes a series of short films, available on our YouTube channel, and an accompanying book, available through our website. Together, they explore Thomas Hardy’s life, poetry and the people who inspired his work.

We hope everyone attending this year’s conference has a wonderful week celebrating one of Dorset’s greatest writers.

https://www.athelhampton.com/product-page/thomas-hardy-10-lovers-50-poems

https://m.youtube.com/

24/07/2026

Despite the heat, Athelhampton’s gardening team have been hard at work, planting 250 Hidcote lavender plants, the first step in transforming a poignant area of our gardens.

Three years ago, we were devastated to discover that our iconic lime avenue was riddled with honey fungus. The magnificent trees, which had defined this walk for generations, could not be saved.

Sadly, we cannot plant trees here again. Instead, after three years of careful restoration, we are ready to begin a new chapter.

Over the coming months, the lavender will establish, and in time will bring colour, fragrance and a haven for pollinators. Then, in late autumn, we hope to begin work on a beautiful oak pergola that will follow the line of the former avenue.

While nothing could ever replace the lime trees, we hope this new space will become a destination in its own right, a place to pause, reflect and enjoy for generations to come.

The final image is an artist’s impression of how we hope this new chapter will look once the pergola and lavender are complete.

17/07/2026

When you visit Athelhampton, you can wander through 5 acres of beautiful gardens, enjoy breakfast, lunch or afternoon tea in our restaurant, then explore the 20 historic rooms of the house, either at your own pace or on a guided tour led by one of our knowledgeable stewards.

Many visitors are surprised to discover that the last room to visit is an art gallery. Tucked away in the East Wing Attic Gallery, you’ll find a changing programme of exhibitions by talented local artists.

Currently in residence is Dorset artist Sarah Jayne Jefferies, whose vibrant mixed media paintings are inspired by the colours, light and ever changing landscapes of the Dorset coast and countryside. Her work beautifully captures the changing seasons and the character of this wonderful part of the world.

The exhibition runs until 31st July, with original paintings and prints available to purchase directly from the artist.

It’s the perfect way to round off your visit, and perhaps even take a little piece of Dorset home with you.

06/07/2026

At Athelhampton I see many visitors walk through this doorway, eager to explore the 20 historic rooms beyond.

But next time you visit, pause for just a moment.

For over 500 years, Athelhampton’s Tudor Porch has welcomed visitors to the house. Hand-carved from beautiful Portesham Stone, its elegant quatrefoil openings, surviving traces of medieval polychrome paint, and 17th-century carved graffiti all tell stories of the generations who have passed beneath it.

It’s easy to hurry through.

But some of the finest details at Athelhampton are found in the places we often overlook.

Next time you visit, take a moment to admire one of the oldest surviving parts of the house.

Open every day.

Address

Athelhampton House, Athelhampton
Dorchester
DT27LG

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 5pm
Tuesday	10am - 5pm
Wednesday	10am - 5pm
Thursday	10am - 5pm
Friday	10am - 5pm
Saturday	10am - 5pm
Sunday	10am - 5pm

Telephone

+441305848363

Website

http://www.athelhampton.co.uk/

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