CARVERY
SHOPPING
BAG
Opening Times
Athelhampton is open to the public all year around.
​Restaurant & Shop
9.30am to 5pm every day
open to visitors and public
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Gardens
10am to 5pm every day
last admissions at 4pm
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House
11am to 5pm every day
last admissions at 4pm
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EV Charging
24 hours, 7 days a week
pay at the charger
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In December & January, the last admissions are at 3 pm. and closing times are at 4 pm, 1 hour earlier.
Athelampton is closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day & New Year's Eve.
Admission Charges
House & Gardens
Adult £22.50
Student £16.50
Child £5.00
Infant free
Carer free
Historic Houses free
Groups £14.50
Schools £8.00
Gardens
Adult £15.00
Student £11.50
Child free
Infant free
Carer free
​​Historic Houses free​
Dogs £1.00
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Adult is 18 and over, Student is 14 to 17 or over 17 with ID, Child is 5 to 11, and an Infant is under 5.
Group admission for 12 or more visitors and School admission prices are for 24 or more children when pre-booked.
Visiting with a Carer
If you need assistance from a carer to visit Athelhampton, then you can ask for a carer's pass to give you or a special admission, so they can support you on your visit.
You will pay the standard rate for an Adult, Student, or Child, and will need to provide one of the following documents to receive the carer's pass.
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Credibility’s Access Card with +1 symbol.
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Entitlement to Disability Living Allowance for children under 16 (award letter or allowance book).
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DLA / Personal Independent Payments (PIP) for those aged 16-64 (award letter or allowance book).
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Attendance Allowance or Personal Assistants / Carer’s Allowance award letter.
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Incapacity Benefit or Employment and Support Allowance (award letter or allowance book).
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Certificate of Visual impairment, or BD8 registration card.
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A Dorset Council registration document.
A blue badge is not accepted.
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If you would like to enjoy our online discounted admission tickets, you can buy your ticket online and then present your document at reception to receive your carer's pass.
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Visiting as a Group
Athelhampton welcomes groups from all around the world.
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With over 20 rooms to explore, a range of antique furnishings, architectural details and 500 years of history, the house makes a fascinating day out.
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The 5 acres of gardens contain four walled formal gardens, our world famous giant yew pyramids, deep herbaceous borders, pools, ponds and fountains and our Edwardian kitchen garden.
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We offer a discounted admission charge of £14.50 for a pre-booked group of 12 or more.
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To enhance your visit a range of talks, tours and catering packages are available.
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Visiting as School
A school trip to Athelhampton is a unique experience for children of any age, it brings learning outside the classroom and covers a wide variety of curriculum subjects, not just Tudor history.
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We make a charge of £192 for up to 24 children, and £8.00 for each additional child. There is no charge for teachers, teaching assistants or chaperones. The charge includes admission to Athelhampton, a dedicated classroom for meetings, storing bags, and eating packed lunches, our Education Guide and printed learning materials
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Athelhampton hosts school visits from October to April on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, other times may be available upon request.
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Travel to Athelhampton
Athelhampton is located between Puddletown and Tolpuddle with excellent road links.
Postcode: DT2 7LG
what3words: ///places.outs.amaze
Latitude: 50° 44' 51.36" N
Longitude: -2° 19' 36.12" W
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By Road on the A35 from Dorchester Poole, or A354 from Blandford follow our brown signs at the "Northbrook" junction, and turn left at the traffic lights in Puddletown.
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By Train Dorchester has two stations, with Taxi service from Dorchester South (London Waterloo, Southampton, Bournemouth, Weymouth etc.) a short walk from Dorchester West (Swindon, Bristol, Yeovil, etc).
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By Bus you will need the CR9 service between Dorchester and Blandford, Athelhampton is a request stop with 3 buses in each direction on a weekday.
It is possible to use the CR8 service between Weymouth and Blandford, this service brings you to Puddletown, 1 mile away with 5 buses on weekdays and Saturdays.
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Guide for Visiting
Accessibility
Both the Athelhampton House and the Gardens are historic Grade 1 listed sites, which offers some natural limitations as we are unable to alter the historic buildings for a visitor with a disability.
Our team receives disability awareness training to help you have a great day at Athelhampton.
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The entrance, visitor centre, shop, toilets, and restaurant are all accessible. We have ramps available to overcome some impassable steps into the House and Garden, which can be deployed upon request.
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The house's rooms are spread over three floors, with the majority of the rooms on the ground floor. There is no lift to access the first floor, but the stewards have visual aids for those who can't manage the stairs.
Due to the wide variety of requirements, we don't offer wheelchairs or motorised scooters for use.
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Parking​
The car park at Athelhampton is free to use for visitors to the House, Gardens, Shop and Restaurant.
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10 Electric Vehicle charging points are provided for anyone to use, a small charge per Kwh applies.
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There are 3 dedicated Coach bays and accessible parking is available close to the visitor centre main entrance, though with a large site, we favour accessibility rather than proximity.
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As the car park is private property, overnight parking is only allowed when charging an EV. Overnight camping is not permitted
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Photography & Filming​
You are encouraged to take photographs and short film clips around the House and Gardens for personal use and to share with your friends or family. You may share images on social media, but please tag @athelhampton.
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Please do not use flash, flying drones, selfie sticks, or take film or photographs of other visitors or staff without their permission.
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Athelhampton is private property, a registered trademark, and the House and Gardens contain items subject to both our and other's copyright. You must not photograph or film for commercial use, financial gain, or public viewing without seeking a license or release from the Estate office.
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Safety and Security​
Athelhampton records CCTV images for the security of our staff, visitors, and estate.
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Barriers, closed doors and staff-only areas should not be entered.
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Children & Infants must be accompanied at all times.
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The gardens have deep water-filled ponds and a fast-flowing river, great care should be taken when close to their edges.
The gardens have a range of plants, some of which can be toxic or cause allergic reactions if touched.
Some fruits and vegetables may be grown for their ornamental looks, but may not be edible in raw form, and therefore, no fruit or vegetables should be consumed.
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Please do not take cuttings, seed pods, flowers, etc, without invitation of the Head Gardener.
Dogs
Well-behaved dogs are welcome in the restaurant and garden but must be kept on a short lead at all times, we allow two dogs per adult, and a small charge of £1 is made to cover the cost of maintaining the poo bin.
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Dogs are allowed in the Coach House visitor centre and the public restaurant. Dogs are not permitted in the historic house or Long Hall restaurant except for guide dogs.