Mapperton House

Left at 9am for the hour and a half drive to Mapperton House. Chris drove us. Unfortunately Hazel had to stay behind to supervise some cleaners who were preparing a house nearby for their daughter and granddaughter (Sam and Billie) to move into next week. This means that the whole family are living nearby as both Sam and sister Katy have sold their London places and moved to Christchurch.

Mapperton Estate is a 1,900 acre estate in West Dorset, consisting of five farms with a mix of arable, dairy, pasture and woodlands. The Estate surrounds historic Mapperton House & Gardens, which are open to the public, and is in an area of outstanding natural beauty. It was entered in the Domesday book 1086 as Malperetone. From then it belonged to only four families - until it was bought in 1919 by Ethel Labouchere. After her death in 1955 it was purchased by Victor Montagu, father of the current Earl of Sandwich.

The 4th Earl of Sandwich, John Montagu 1718-1792, was a prominent statesman who served as First Lord of the Admiralty. He is remembered for sponsoring the voyages of discovery made by Captain James Cook who named the Sandwich islands in his honour, and also as the namesake of the sandwich.

Surrounded by the stunning West Dorset countryside, Mapperton is home to the Earl and Countess of Sandwich and their family, heir Luke and his US-born TV presenter wife Julie, the Viscount and Viscountess Hinchingbrooke. Julie has a YouTube channel and one of her most enthusiastic followers is Candice so this was a must visit on our itinerary.

We did a tour of the house, the Alberta Room, and the amazing gardens. Even more amazing was finding Julie in her shower cap and dressing gown about to get into the old pool with a drill to fix some planter boxes which had come detached from the walls of the pool. She had her camera man in tow as they were filming for a YouTube post!

The Alberta Room is full of memorabilia of an American heiress, Alberta Sturges Montagu, the 9th Countess of Sandwich. Letters from 1888-1951 exchanged between Alberta, her family, and the peerage at large shed light on the triumphs and tragedies of a ‘dollar bride’ during the Gilded Age. The family seat was actually at another property ‘Hinchingbrooke House’ and this was used as a refugee camp and later as a Red Cross Convalescent Hospital.

We had the best sandwiches for lunch - Chris wanted the “Earl of Sandwich Special” - roast beef - but they were out of beef as it had been really busy. He and I then had a wholemeal Camembert, cranberry and bacon sandwich with side salad and crisps. It is my new favourite sandwich. The Coach House Cafe is a restored coach house and beautifully done.

Home to Christchurch and a quick tour of the highlights of the town. The “Eleventh Century” Priory is spectacular. Chris and Hazel often go to concerts there - apparently the acoustics are amazing. The Christchurch harbour and beachside are lovely and very typical of an English seaside holiday place with various boating activities, scuba diving, and good pubs and cafes offering seafood dishes. We had dinner at a lovely restaurant overlooking the sea with a view of the Isle of Wight in the distance.

Really great day!Read more