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Mapperton House & Gardens

With Lunch, Private Tour & a Cream Tea

Thursday, 13th August 2026 @ 9.30am

 

Mapperton House exterior

Join Crown Church & Arts for a special small-group visit to Mapperton House and Gardens, set among the rolling hills of West Dorset near Beaminster. 

Earl and Countess of SandwichDescribed as ‘The Nation’s Finest Manor House’, Mapperton is a magnificent Jacobean manor house and the family home of Luke and Julie Montagu, the Earl and Countess of Sandwich. American-born Julie has introduced the house and the realities of life behind the scenes at a historic country estate to a wide international audience through Instagram and her popular American Countess and Mapperton Live YouTube channels. The house stands at the heart of a working rural estate of almost 2,000 acres and contains the important Sandwich collection of paintings, furniture, textiles and ceramics, reflecting the family’s contribution to British history over several centuries.  

Mapperton House interior1 Mapperton House interior2 Mapperton House interior3

Our day will start with a light lunch in the Coach House Café, after which we will enjoy a private guided tour of the house, during which one of Mapperton’s knowledgeable guides will introduce us to its history, architecture and collections.

Our visit will then continue with a guided tour of Mapperton’s celebrated gardens and its new Kitchen Garden, followed by time to explore independently.

 Mapperton Gardens1 Mapperton Gardens3

The Grade II* listed gardens are among the most important and distinctive in the country and were named Historic Houses Garden of the Year in 2020. Tucked into a steep-sided Dorset valley, they descend from the formal topiary gardens and Orangery beside the house to an arboretum, woodland and a succession of secluded valleys and garden areas.

The day will conclude with a traditional cream tea before our return journey to Bristol.

For full information on Mapperton House & Gardens, see their website here

Full Details

  • Transport:  Executive minibus
  • Pick-up Point:  All Saints Church, Pembroke Road, Clifton, BS8 3ED.
  • Date/Time:  Thursday 13th August 2026, 9.30am to approx. 7.00pm
  • Itinerary:
    • 9.30am - Depart All Saints Church  
    • c. 11.45am - Arrive at Mapperton House and Gardens
    • 12:00 noon - Light lunch with tea and coffee, served in a private area of the Coach House Café
    • 1.00pm - Private guided tour of Mapperton House, Gardens and the new Kitchen Garden, with time to stroll around the gardens independently
    • 3.30pm - Cream Tea in the Coach House Café
    • 4.45pm - Depart Mapperton
    • c. 7.00pm - Arrive back at All Saints Church

Cost

  • £120 per person, including return travel by executive minibus, lunch with tea/coffee, admission and private tour of Mapperton House and Gardens, cream tea
Access Information
  • Please note that Mapperton’s gardens are set on steep and uneven ground, with gravel paths and changes in level.  Approximately half of the gardens are wheelchair accessible. The ground floor of Mapperton House is wheelchair accessible, but the full house tour includes two floors and there is no lift.
    • Anyone with particular mobility requirements is asked to contact Helen Sutton (see below) before booking so that the suitability of the visit can be discussed.
To book your place, contact Helen Sutton:
E: helen@crownchurchandarts.co.uk
M: 07802 256315
NB. payment is due at time of booking via BACS or cheque (see details below) and places are non-refundable

Payment via BACS:
  • Account name: Crown, Church and Arts
  • Account number: 77202325
  • Sort code: 51-70-08
Payment via cheque:
  • Cheques payable to: Crown, Church and Arts
  • Post to:
    • Helen Sutton, Crown Church & Arts, 68 Pembroke Rd, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 3ED

Mapperton House exterior2~2 

15/07/2026

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello 

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect on a Sunday morning.

Where and When

We meet at the Church Building (details here) for our Sunday Service starting at 10am. For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you get a parking space and find somewhere to sit before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team who will be wearing a Welcome lanyard.

We serve tea, coffee and biscuits from 10am, before the service begins. It is a great way to meet people, or simply take time to find your bearings. All refreshments are free.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There are disabled toilets in the main foyer.

Our Service

The main service begins at 10am with a warm welcome from one of our team members. Then follows a time of sung worship, led by our band. We typically have 2 or 3 songs lasting approximately 20 minutes. Sometimes a person might pray out loud or read a small passage from the bible. Sometimes people share things that they believe God is saying to the whole church family. This might seem strange the first time you hear it but it’s all part of our connecting with God. We then share news and notices, usually about what’s going on in the life of the church. One of our leaders will then give a sermon that is bible based and that we can apply to our everyday life. We then finish with a final worship song. Sometimes there is an opportunity to receive prayer at the end of the service.

images: Services

What about my kids?

We have a great programme lined up for kids of all ages:

  • Creche (0 months to 3 years). Children under 6 months are welcome but must be accompanied by their parent/grown-up at all times.
  • Livewires (3-7 years)
  • Encounter (7-11 years)
  • Katalyst (11-15 years)
  • Young people (15+ years) Stay in service.

Children stay with their parent or grown-up at the start of the service for the welcome, songs and notices. We really value worshipping God all together as a family. At the end of the notices someone will announce that it’s time for the younger members to go to their various groups. You will need to go with your children to their groups and register them as part of our child safety policy. Whilst you are dropping your kids off at their groups, we pause to take time to chat to someone sitting near or next to us, giving folk a chance to come back before the sermon begins.

The kids group activities vary depending on the age but usually there is a friendly welcome, bible stories, testimonies, praying, music, craft, drama, fun games and free play. Please pick your children up as soon as the service finishes.

Children

Getting Connected


Small Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our small groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a variety of groups that meet throughout the week, some afternoons and some evenings. Check out Small Groups and see if there’s one that you could join, or we can put you in touch with a small group leader who will be more than happy to invite you along to their group.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to serve on a team. 

Other Ministries

We also run the following ministries:

  • Men's Ministries
  • Women's Ministries
  • Night Shelter
  • Foodbank
     
Get in touch with us to plan your visit
If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome! Get in touch and we can arrange a time that suits you.
 
Name:
Telephone:
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Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.
 

Leadership 

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Leader 1   Leader 2
Leader Intro   Leader Intro
 
We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home at our church.

Best Wishes

(Handwritten Signature)