Minterne House

www.minterne.co.uk

Minterne has been the home of the Churchill and the Digby families for nearly 350 years.

The first Sir Winston Churchill and his son the great Duke of Marlborough lived here during the early 18th Century, and the house still contains many Churchill tapestries and pictures. Lord Digby has historical stories about all the family pictures, including the Van Dyck picture of Sir Kenelm Digby and his wife Venetia; and the water-colours of Palmyra by the famous Jane Digby who had 4 husbands and finally lived for 25 years married to a Sheikh in Arabia; together with memorabilia of Pamela Digby-Churchill-Harriman, brought up at Minterne and later the American Ambassador to Paris. Immense pictures show the Battle of Trafalgar and storm the day after, as seen from Henry Digby's ship H.M.S. Africa.

The valley was landscaped in the manner of Capability Brown in the 18th century with a series of small lakes and cascades described in 'The 1,000 Best Houses,' as "a comer of paradise."

The gardens, over a mile round, provide a new vista at every turn. They contain an important collection of Himalayan rhododendrons, azaleas and magnolias from the Wilson, Rock, Forrest and Kingdon Ward expeditions. The autumn colouring is quite sensational.

Contact The Events Manager
Minterne House
Minterne Magna
Dorchester
Dorset
DT2 7AU

E-mail:     enquiries@minterne.co.uk
Telephone:     01300 341370