Wolfeton House facts for kids

The south front of Wolfeton House, showing its unique style.

Wolfeton House is an amazing old country house in Dorset, England. It was built during the early Tudor and Elizabethan periods. You can find it surrounded by pretty water-meadows, just north-west of Dorchester. It's also close to where the River Frome and River Cerne meet, and near the village of Charminster.

A Look Back in Time

The oldest part of Wolfeton House, which forms a compact courtyard, was built around 1480. This historic house might even have roots going all the way back to Roman times! Over the years, it has been the home of several important families, including the Mohuns and the Trenchards. The Trenchard family, who were very powerful in Dorset during the 1500s, built most of the house we see today.

A Royal Visit and a Lucky Break

In January 1506, something very exciting happened at Wolfeton House! Sir Thomas Trenchard welcomed Philip of Austria, who was the King of Castile, and his wife, Queen Joanna of Castile. Their ship, which was on its way to Spain, was blown off course by a storm and landed near Wolfeton at Melcombe Regis.

This unexpected visit led to a famous story about John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford. John Russell was born in Weymouth, not far from Wolfeton. He became a very important person in the court of King Henry VIII. The historian John Hutchins (who lived much later, in the 1700s) tells us that Sir Thomas Trenchard asked John Russell to help entertain the King of Castile because Russell had lived in Spain for some years. The King of Castile was so impressed with John Russell that he recommended him to King Henry VII. King Henry VII then made Russell one of his trusted advisors, and later, King Henry VIII also favored him. This meeting at Wolfeton House helped John Russell become very famous and successful!

Protecting the Area

More recently, in June 2023, the local council, Dorset Council, decided not to allow new houses to be built very close to the manor. This decision helps protect the historic surroundings of Wolfeton House.

Exploring the House

Parts of Wolfeton House come from the south side of an early courtyard house built in the 1500s. The house has a three-story tower on its south side. The very top part of this tower was added around 1862. To the west of the tower, there's a wall built in the 1500s that leads to an interesting eight-sided tower called a garderobe (which was a type of toilet in olden times).

Inside, Wolfeton House is decorated with beautiful oak panels. You'll also find a huge collection of amazing carvings from the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods (the late 1500s and early 1600s). These carvings include Roman soldiers and even a figure of an ancient Briton holding a club! The main staircase is made of stone and is thought to be very special. It was built in 1580 and has carved figures in its balustrade (the railing). The floor in the Great Chamber is also original from the 1500s, and its fireplace has carvings, including one of a Native American.

The Grand Gatehouse

The gatehouse at Wolfeton House is quite impressive. An inscription on it tells us it was finished in 1534. This gatehouse has two stories and an attic, and it stands about 30 meters east of the main house. It features two round towers, which are actually not exactly the same size! Between the towers is an entrance archway, but it's not perfectly in the middle.

Around the door, there's a special carved frame called a label mould. At each end of this frame, there are carvings of a satyr (a mythical creature, half-human, half-goat) and a woodmouse, both holding staves (long sticks). Above the door, you can see a decorative panel called a cartouche that dates from the early 1700s. Today, this unique gatehouse is available for people to stay in for holidays through the Landmark Trust.