Historic BuildingsAbbotsbury

Birthplace of novelist and poet Thomas HardyThomas Hardy was born in 1840 in this small cob and thatch cottage and from here he would walk to school every day in Dorchester, three miles away. It was built by his great‐grandfather and is little altered since the family…
Distance: 10.7 miles away

The history of this fortress, which overlooks Portland harbour, is diverse and fascinating. Built by Henry VIII to defend Weymouth against possible French and Spanish invasion, its squat appearance is typical of the artillery forts built in the early 1540s. Unusually for a fortress of this period, the…
Distance: 9.7 miles away

Voted Our Favouite Garden by the readers of The Daily Telegraph in 2006. Runner‐up in the peoples' vote for the best major display garden at The Chelsea Flower Show, May 2006.Established in 1765 by the first Countess of Ilchester as a kitchen garden for her nearby castle. Developed…
Distance: 0.9 miles away

Athelhampton House and its estate and gardens have been in private ownership for over five hundred years. We thank you for your interest which will help to ensure that Athelhampton will continue to flourish. The House has been owned by the Cooke family for three generations…
Distance: 13.7 miles away

Mapperton Gardens is a romantic valley garden deep into a lost Dorset combe among tumbling hills and unspoilt countryside. The gardens descend from the great lawn, through the formal topiary down to the valley garden. The manor house with its church,stable block, coach house, dovecote and…
Distance: 10 miles away

The Minterne Valley, landscaped in the manner of Capability Brown in the 18th Century, has been the home of the Churchill and Digby families for 350 years. The gardens are laid out in a horseshoe below Minterne House, with a chain of small lakes, waterfalls and streams. They…
Distance: 13.2 miles away