Athelhampton House and Gardens
Free RHS Member days
10am–5pm, Saturday, 6 January–20 December
About the garden
Athelhampton House and Gardens is an ancient English manor dating back to Saxon times. The Manor House, built in 1485, 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.
At the heart of the garden are four ‘rooms’, each a walled formal garden with a pond and water feature. The largest garden, the Great Court, is dominated by 12 large yew pyramids, which were once part of a long-lost parterre. The garden has a large terrace and two elegant garden pavilions built from glorious Ham stone.
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.
Facilities
- Parking
- Plant sales
- Refreshments
- Toilets
Key features
- Bog garden
- Glasshouse (open to public)
- Gravel garden
- Cottage planting
- Mediterranean/Italian garden
Get involved
The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.