Mapperton House & Gardens

Mapperton House & Gardens, Dorset

Magnificent Mapperton, Dorset

Mapperton House & Gardens in Beaminster, Dorset has one of England's finest gardens. Indeed, in 2020 it won Christie's House & Garden of the Year Award. The gardens are a combination of both formal and informal styles.

45 miles west of Exeter on the A30 and A35, Mapperton is also within easy reach of Colyton, Honiton, Seaton and Lyme Regis.

A tranquil, pleasant and unhurried place, Mapperton is definitely worth your time if in the area.

The house is owned by the current Earl and Countess of Sandwich.

Mapperton House. — The original manor house was built by Robert Morgan in the 1540s

History

The manor in Mapperton dates back to the 11th century and the reign of William the Conqueror. The estate was owned by only four families up until the early 20th century. The present owner of the Grade I listed property is the 11th Earl of Sandwich.

The current Mapperton House is primarily built in the Jacobean style with later additions. It features a beautiful limestone façade and distinct architectural elements, including gables, mullioned windows, and ornate chimneys. The interiors boast exquisite period furnishings and artwork.

The CofE All Saints' Church also dates from the 12th century and is also Grade I listed.

The Italianate garden was laid out in the 1920s by the owner Ethel Labouchere (who bought the property in 1919), in memory of her husband. The construction project provided work for men from the local area who had returned from World War I. The garden includes fountains, grottoes and ornamental animal figures.

A wild garden was added later in the 1950s.

Highlights are the formal topiary gardens and Orangery. The Orangery features a glass roof, allowing ample natural light to filter through thus creating a delightful atmosphere. It dates back to the 18th century.

The house and gardens are available for hire for weddings. They have also been used on several occasions for filming. It gained particular fame as a location for the 2015 adaptation of Thomas Hardy's novel, Far from the Madding Crowd.

The grand entrance to the manor. — The grand entrance to the manor

The All Saints Church dates from the medieval period with restorations in both the 18th and 19th centuries.

The lovely stained glass windows include Flemish and English heraldic glass.

The house and gardens are open to the public during the summer months. — The house and gardens are open to the public during the summer months

Goods From Japan delivered to your home or business. — Goods From Japan delivered to your home or business

Garden of the Year 2020. — Garden of the Year 2020

Access - Getting There

Mapperton Estate
Mapperton
Beaminster
Dorset DT8 3NR
Tel: 01308 862645

The nearest railway stations are Honiton (25 miles away) and Axminster which have trains from Exeter St David's Station and Waterloo Station in London.

Colyton is a 45-minute drive on the B3165.

The nearest airport is Exeter International Airport, just 5 miles to the east of Exeter city near Clyst Honiton off the A30.

The airport has regular domestic flights to Aberdeen, Alicante, Belfast, Edinburgh, Guernsey/Jersey, the Isles of Scilly, Leeds Bradford, Manchester and Newcastle.

International destinations include Amsterdam, Dubrovnik, Dublin, Faro, Funchal, Geneva, Hannover, Larnaca, Nice, Palma, Paris, Malaga and Salzburg.

View of the swimming pool. — View of the swimming pool now somewhat green

Accommodation

Exeter, the nearest large city, offers a range of accommodation options to suit all budgets and tastes. Choose from a range of hotels and guest houses in Exeter including the four-star Mercure Exeter Southgate Hotel, the four-star Southernhay House Hotel, and Jurys Inn Exeter, also a four-star hotel.

See here for a complete list of accommodation in Exeter.

Lyme Regis also has numerous hotels, B&B's and guest houses available for the tens of thousands who arrive each year. Noted places to stay include the boutique Hotel 1 Lyme, Dorset House on Pound Road, the nearby Mariners Hotel on Silver Street, Westwood Guest House on Woodmead Road, the Fernhill Hotel in Charmouth and a little north of Lyme, The Trinity.

See here for a full listing of hotels, self-catering apartments and guest houses in the Lyme area.

If you wish to stay in Beaminster itself try the Ollerod - a former priest's house - or The Barn - a holiday home.