Mapperton

Mapperton House

Mapperton is noted for its manor house, with both house and gardens open to the public during the summer months. The house is Grade I listed, as is the attached All Saints' Church which dates from the 12th century.

The manor had been owned since the 11th century by only four families (Brett, Morgan, Brodrepp, Compton), all linked by the female line, before it was sold to Ethel Labouchere in 1919. When she died in 1955 the estate was acquired by Victor Montagu, Viscount Hinchingbrooke. It has remained in the Montagu family since then, and as of 2025 is owned by Luke Montagu, 12th Earl of Sandwich.

Robert Morgan built a Tudor manor on the present site in the 1540s, and part of it remains as the north wing of the present building. The house was largely rebuilt in the 1660s by Richard Brodrepp, with the addition of the hall and west front, as well as the dovecote and stable blocks. A second Richard Brodrepp created the Georgian staircase in the 18th century. In 2006 the house was voted the "Nation's Finest Manor House" by Country Life magazine.

The tomb of Richard Brodrepp in the church dates from 1739 and was designed by Peter Scheemakers.

The grounds and formal gardens are Grade II* listed. An Italianate garden was laid out in the 1920s and a wild garden in the 1950s. The house is run by the current Earl and Countess of Sandwich. In January 2023, they announced plans to open the house for a limited number of private tours.

Gallery

File:Mapperton parish church, window detail - geograph.org.uk - 517667.jpg|All Saints' church, Mapperton File:Mapperton Manor House Tudor Wing Gable - detail - geograph.org.uk - 868285.jpg|A lion representing the Morgan family is one of two heraldic beasts at Mapperton, sitting atop barley-twist columns on the gable end of the Tudor wing

Filming location

The manor house was used in the filming of the 1996 film Emma, in which it became Randalls, the home of Mrs Weston; the 1997 BBC version of The History of Tom Jones; and the 2015 version of Thomas Hardy's Far from the Madding Crowd. The manor was used again in Rebecca as Manderley's garden, which is open to the public from Spring to Autumn.

References

References

1. "Parish Profiles". Office for National Statistics.
2. "Mapperton, Dorset". University of Portsmouth.
3. {{OpenDomesday. SY9098. mapperton. Mapperton
4. A. D. Mills. (2003). "A Dictionary of British Place-Names".
5. "Mapperton House and Gardens".
6. {{National Heritage List for England
7. {{National Heritage List for England
8. Carr, Hollie. (2025-02-07). "Tributes to the Earl of Sandwich following his death aged 81".
9. Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660-1851 by Rupert Gunnis
10. {{National Heritage List for England
11. (2020-11-18). "Mapperton Wins Garden of the Year 2020".
12. "Mapperton House opens doors for grand historic tours".
13. Pearce, Elena. (2021-01-11). "Mapperton Gardens, Dorset; no stranger to film crews".
14. Sampson, Annabel. (2020-06-11). "The American Aristocrat keeping Mapperton House on the map".
15. "Emma 2 Locations: Mapperton House".
16. "Mapperton". Dorset OPC.
17. Sampson, Annabel. (2020-10-27). "Inside the great estates cast as Manderley in the new Rebecca".