England
Dorset

Historic Houses in Dorset

Athelhampton House
5.5 m NE Dorchester, on the A35, Tel. 01305 848363
Tudor house originated by Sir William Martyn, Lord Mayor of London, in 1480's. Later additions from Victorian era. Panelled Tudor rooms, great hall still with its half-timbered roof, original Tudor windows. Wonderful old wooden furniture collection. More about Athelhampton House >>

Kingston Lacy
Wimborne Minster, Dorset, BH21 4EA, Tel 01202 883402, web
The sedate rectangle of Kingston Lacy sits amid the vast estates acquired by the Bankes family, who lived here for over 300 years. At its core the house is Restoration style, begun by Sir Ralph Bankes in the 1660s. That house replaced an even earlier medieval manor that had been heavily damaged in the Civil War. More about Kingston Lacy >>

Lulworth Castle
East Lulworth, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 5QS, Tel: 01929 400352, web
An ornate country home today, Lulworth Castle was begun in 1608 as a hunting lodge by Thomas Howard, 3rd Viscount Blindon. Howard was a favourite of James I, and it is rumoured that he hoped to build a grand lodge modeled on a medieval castle so that he could invite that monarch to come hunting on the Isle of Purbeck. More about Lulworth Castle >>

Mapperton House and Gardens
Mapperton, Beaminster, Dorset, DT8 3NR, Tel 01308 862645
web
The delightful manor of Mapperton sits atop a long rise, dominating views across a lovely Italianate garden. The house is largely a product of the 1660s, though earlier Tudor elements have survived. More about Mapperton House and Gardens >>

Max Gate
Alington Avenue, Dorchester, Dorset , DT1 2AA, Tel: 01305 262538, web
Novelist Thomas Hardy designed and built Max Gate, and he lived in the house from 1885 until his death in 1928. Hardy was an architect by training, before turning full time to writing, and he used all his not-inconsiderable skill to create at Max Gate an attractive Victorian villa. The study where Hardy did much of his writing has been relocated to the Dorset County Museum. More about Max Gate >>

Sherborne Castle
Sherborne, Dorset, DT9 5NR, Tel 01935 813182, Fax 01935 816 727, web
More stately home than fortified castle, Sherborne was built by Sir Walter Raleigh beginning in 1594. Raleigh built a new house around the core of an old hunting lodge (now the "old castle"). The house is surrounded by 20 acres of landscaped gardens and a 50 acre lake designed by Capability Brown. More about Sherborne Castle >>