Minterne House & Gardens
Secluded gardens, famed for their seasonal profusion of rhododendron, azalea, Japanese cherries and magnolia.
Minterne Magna, Dorchester, Dorset, DT2 7AU
Home to the Churchill & Digby families for over 350 years. The 1st Sir Winston Churchill was born here and his brother The Duke of Marlborough, “had to make do with Blenheim”
Rebuilt in 1905 the architect was Leonard Stokes, founder of the Arts & Crafts movement; the Elizabethan south front of the house faces the Cerne Valley over the Ha-Ha; the East side boasts a Gothic Tower and the interiors have a Georgian flavour. The Barrel Vaulted ceiling in the Trafalgar Hall provides perfect acoustics for live music at weddings, events and concerts.
The gardens which are open to the public have a Historic collection of Rhododendrons dating from the Victorian Plant Hunters trips to the Himalayas and with over 27 acres there is a haven of tranquility to be had in Dorset.