St. Giles House and Upton House
Tue 13 May 2025 10:30 AM - 5:00 PM BST
St. Giles House, BH21 5ND
Description
Enjoy exclusive guided tours of two exquisite houses hidden deep in rural Dorset with wonderful features and fascinating histories.
Discover Grade I St. Giles House, the ancestral home of the Ashley-Cooper family. Built in 1651, the influence of Inigo Jones is obvious in the Renaissance north and east fronts with their Classical façades. The house has been at the heart of politics, philosophy and social thought over the past 400 years and is surrounded by 400 acres of Grade II listed parkland which includes a seven acre serpentine lake. The original plan of the house called for a square courtyard, to which was added two large ground floor rooms, with additional rooms on the second and third floors. The house was once completely crenellated along the edge of the parapet, however most of these fortifications were removed in the 19th century. The east front, with its seven bays, remains much the same today. Following WWII, the house was on the “Buildings at Risk” register and since 2010, work has been ongoing to save the building, restore the house and bring the family back.
Later explore Upton House, a late Georgian, Grade II* listed building set within Upton Country Park, built by Christopher Spurrier between 1816-1818 on what was then the Upton Estate. The land has had many illustrious owners including the Earl of Huntingdon in 1592. The Spurriers built their wealth on the Newfoundland trade, but this slowly declined and gambling and extravagance forced the sale of the property in 1828 to Sir Edward Doughty, a member of the Tichborne family. Upton House remained with the barons of Tichborne until 1901 when, as a result of massive debts, they sold it on to the Llewellins who held it until 1957. The magnificent country park includes parkland, formal gardens and shoreline.
Tickets £88 including a two-course lunch at the Horton Inn, Wimborne. Lunch options to be made available to attendees in May 2025
Location
St. Giles House, BH21 5ND