Dorset's Hidden Country Houses and Gardens

8 May 2022

This Art Pursuits tour will focus on houses still in private hands which illustrate the development of the country house from early Tudor times to the 20th century.

Private guided tour of Mapperton House
The richly decorated interiors of Forde Abbey, amongst the finest of the Commonwealth period
A private visit to Wimborne St Giles, the ancestral home of the Earls of Shaftesbury, and recently splendidly restored

Dorset is one of the most unspoilt and most rural of England’s counties, a land of downs, and moor, secluded valleys, woodlands and beech groves. It is not a county of grand mansions, but possesses a remarkable concentration of lesser-known gentry manor houses, often little changed over the centuries, and sometimes still in possession of the families which originally built them. This Art Pursuits tour will focus on houses still in private hands which illustrate the development of the country house from early Tudor times to the 20th century, and almost every house on our itinerary has an important historic garden or designed landscape park. The tour is based in Hardy’s enchanting village of Evershot, surrounded by rolling hills and situated mid-way between Beaminster and Cerne Abba. It is the second highest settlement in Dorset and the source of the River Frome, which rises from a spring at St John’s Well near the church and meanders for 35 miles across Dorset to the sea at Poole.

Day 1:
Choose from independent arrival at the hotel or pick up at Dorchester rail station in the early afternoon. Coach to Mapperton for a private guided visit. The glorious architecture of Mapperton is predominantly Jacobean, although the history of the estate dates back more than 1000 years, with inclusion in the Doomsday Book of 1086. Today home to the Earl and Countess of Sandwich, features of particular note include elaborate plasterwork ceilings and the graceful Italianate gardens which cocoon this elegant house. Return to Evershot for dinner in the hotel’s restaurant.
Day 2:
After breakfast we travel by coach to Forde Abbey. Founded by the Cistercians in 1141, the buildings were sumptuously embellished by Abbot Chard in the early Tudor period as a residence for himself. After the Abbey was dissolved in 1539, it became the residence of Cromwell’s attorney-general, Edward Prideaux, who transformed the monastic buildings into one of the most impressive houses of the Commonwealth period. The interior has outstanding woodwork and plasterwork of the period, whilst the beautiful gardens are a special feature of the estate. We continue to Wolfeton, a handsome mediaeval and Elizabethan house, which rises from the water meadows at the confluence of two rivers, just north of Dorchester. Namechecked by Thomas Hardy, interior highlights include some marvellously ornate Elizabethan and Jacobean woodwork, and a chapel with carved panels depicting the signs of the zodiac. Our final visit of the day will be to Kingston Maurward, an estate much loved by Thomas Hardy; there the Old Manor House is the perfect Elizabethan house. In 1717-20 George Pitt, (cousin of William Pitt the Elder), wanting a grander house, built the present impressive Baroque mansion, possibly designed by Thomas Archer. Return to Evershot.
Day 3:
Leaving Evershot by coach, we stop for coffee and view the dramatic ruins of Corfe Castle on the way to Creech Grange, a romantic house in a secluded valley setting. Built in the Elizabethan period, it was partially remodelled by the important Dorchester architect, Francis Cartwright c.1740, whilst the East Front (1846-7) is a sensitive early example of Elizabethan revival. We have lunch at Minterne, a sophisticated Arts and Crafts house, built 1904-6 for Lord Digby, by Leonard Stokes. The magnificent woodland garden, particularly beautiful in the spring, lies in a valley landscaped in the 18th century with chains of lakes, cascades and streams, and contains a unique collection of Himalayan azaleas and rhododendrons and many fine and rare shrubs and trees. Return to Evershot.
Day 4:
Our morning will be spent at St Giles House, Wimborne, one of Dorset’s most fascinating country houses. The ancestral home of the Ashley-Cooper family (who became the Earls of Shaftesbury) for over 600 years, its architectural development is linked to the personalities and tastes of the family. After a period of decline in the late 20th century, the house and park have been brought back life by the current 12th Earl, and his restoration of the house has earned a number of national accolades. In the park, an exquisite 18th-century Shell Grotto is not to be missed. After lunch, we visit magical Cranborne Manor (exterior only), rebuilt 1608-20 as a hunting lodge by Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, and surrounded by beautiful gardens, where features of the 17th-century layout by John Tradescant survive. In the late afternoon, we return to our hotel where our tour concludes at c. 6.00pm, drop off also at Dorchester rail station.

Overview

Intimate and special, and surrounded by beautiful countryside, our country-house hotel offers a cosseting experience in the heart of Dorset. With genuine warm service, innovative and delicious menus, a relaxing spa, a stunning indoor pool and fragrant landscaped gardens. The Summer Lodge offers a world-renowned restaurant and bar, a heated indoor pool, spa and beauty treatments, bicycles, a croquet lawn and an all-weather tennis court. We are also a 25 minutes’ drive from the Jurassic coast, providing guests with ample opportunity for outdoor pursuits. this is the quintessential luxurious escape.