Forde Abbey

Forde Abbey in Dorset is a treasure in an area already known for its outstanding beauty. It is a family home as well as a living and breathing working estate, and welcomes visitors all year round. Please explore further down this page and across our website to see what you can experience on a day visit here: a family outing in beautiful Dorset, lovely gifts in our shop, a trip to our plant nursery, tasty refreshments in our tearoom – hopefully you will find something for everyone. In the peaceful solitude of its secluded position it is possible to imagine just how Forde Abbey looked to many of its previous owners, from its mediaeval beginnings to the present day: monks going about their daily round of work and prayer; prosperous parliamentary gentlemen discussing the cavalier threat; gifted philosophers debating the imponderable; elegant Victorian ladies fanning themselves by the fireside; and country gentlemen going about their work on the estate. Each part of Forde Abbey’s history can be clearly read in the architecture and structure of the house and garden. It is a living testament to the people who have lived and worked here over the past nine centuries, and makes it one of the most fascinating buildings in the country.