Symondsbury Manor
About Symondsbury Manor
Symondsbury Manor is a 17th century country house near Bridport, a mile from the coast of Dorset. It has 11 bedrooms and 9 bathrooms, and sleeps up to 22 guests. The house is the perfect place for a holiday with family or friends, or for special celebrations.
Of the eleven bedrooms, one is on the ground-floor, off the kitchen, and is suitable for guests who would prefer not to use too many stairs. Two of the attic bedrooms are suitable for guests with a young family; the bedrooms are inter-connected and share a large bathroom.
The reception rooms are large and relaxed, and include a sixty-foot long open-plan living room. There is also a huge country-style kitchen, and the sort of massive Aga that inspires immediate Mary Berry fantasies.
For any Strictly fantasists, there is a fabulous eighteenth century, panelled ballroom, which can be used for a number of things (not just the cha-cha-cha). It’s a great, flexible space, and has a table-tennis table, excellent for encouraging teenagers off sofas; and a piano, excellent for bringing out repressed aunts.
The gardens at Symondsbury are mostly relaxed and informal, and there’s a charming fish pond in which to spot little fish.
Edmund’s Choice of Extraordinary Feature
“One of the very best things about this house is its atmosphere, generated by the hand-painted wall paper, eclectic furnishings and surprise quirks. There’s a life-sized unicorn, for example, by the drive, and a lot of the beds are four-posters – each different from the last. The owner is a respected artist; the walls of the house are filled with paintings and pictures collected from all over the world.”
About The Location
Symondsbury is within a beautiful, golden village, which is itself a mile from the town of Bridport (famous for the Broadchurch series). The nearest train station is about twelve miles away in Crewkerne, with trains from London.
Things To Do
Symondsbury is a mile from West Bay and Dorset’s Jurassic coast, which now holds World Heritage status.
The nearby market town of Bridport is famous for its very large Saturday street market of food, antiques and bric-a brac as well as independent shops.
In the local area, there are myriad golf courses to choose from, and all manner of water-sports and sea-fishing and diving. If you’d rather stay dry, there are art galleries and evenings of culture in Bridport.
Weddings
Symondsbury reserves a few dates a year for special, intimate weddings. Capacity as follows:
– 40 seated indoors (80 if buffet-style)
– 120 guests (maximum) if marquee is erected in the grounds
House History
Symondsbury Manor was built in the 17th Century, though there may have been a house on the site in earlier times. A ballroom and mullioned windows were added in the eighteenth century.
Location
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Interactive map showing approximate location of Symondsbury Manor.
Reviews
Having now had many reports from the various age groups of our family spending Christmas at Symondsbury Manor, we wanted to tell you that they all had a wonderful time. They found the house and the atmosphere very attractive. They particularly appreciated that the house was immaculate when they all turned up, and we hope that they left in a reasonable shape when they all left. Thank you very much for all of that and especially for your patience as circumstances made our planning rather difficult. We were sorry not to be there ourselves but maybe another time. We wish you all a very good 2021. With best wishes from, Jane and Francis
We all had an absolutely wonderful time at the manor - thanks very much for letting us use it. Everyone remarked on how nice the house was, as well as the convenience of the Symondsbury Kitchen next door for breakfast. I know several of the group have said that they would like to book the venue for future family events
We had a wonderful time, thank you! We have stayed at many similar properties of varying sizes over the last few years as part of our annual retreat, but many of our party said that Symondsbury was definitely the favourite. We were all impressed by the friendliness and the welcoming atmosphere. As well as the really interesting inside and gardens, which were great for us photographically. The main living and socialising area was really large, and surprisingly more than adequate for our group. The added bonus of the ballroom meant we could do things like set up light to practice flash photography during a very excitable ping pong game :).I am very sure we will be back with you again in a year or two.
