Mapperton House

We had a day out today at Mapperton House near Beaminster in Dorset. The house is currently owned by the Earl of Sandwich, whose ancestor is the one who the sandwich is named, but the family only bought it 50 years ago. 

The original Manor House was built on this site in 1066 by William the Conqueror’s cousin but the earliest part of the current house was built in Tudor times by the Morgan family, though it was extended and redesigned in the 1660s.

It passed down through the female line of the family but it fell into disrepair and was built by a wealthy war widow in 1919 who renovated it and created an impressive Italianate garden.

We enjoyed a guided tour of the house, which contains a lot of the Sandwich family paintings and furniture, and were given an entertaining potted history of the family.

After a lunch in the cafe in the Coach House (sandwiches, naturally!) we enjoyed a walk in the gardens (see extras)