Athelhampton House and Gardens

About the garden

Owned by

Giles Keating

New for 2024: Athelhampton House and Gardens is an ancient English manor dating from Saxon times. The Manor House seen today was built in 1485 at the beginning of the Tudor era and is surrounded by award-winning gardens, created in 1891 by one of Athelhampton's owners, Mr. Alfred Cart de Lafontaine, and his garden architect Francis Inigo Thomas.
 
The two men created a garden that is often regarded to be in the Elizabethan style and complements the house perfectly. At the heart of the garden, there are four ‘rooms’, each one a walled formal garden with a pond and water feature. The largest garden, the Great Court is dominated by 12 large yew pyramids, which would have once been part of a long-lost parterre.
 
The garden has a large terrace and two elegant garden pavilions built from glorious Ham stone. The terrace provides a view along an axis that reveals the other formal gardens, each with its own well-established perennial planting. Beyond the walled gardens, wander through walks and natural pergolas. The South Walk was replanted in 2023 inspired by Gertrude Jekyll. The Rose Garden leads into an Edwardian Kitchen Garden, which produces fruit and vegetables for the on-site restaurant.

Please note: This is a partially accessible garden (most of the garden is accessible, but some parts are not easily accessible). The garden has EV charging points.