An elegant historic house set in ancient gardens, a stone's throw from the centre of Wimborne Minster in Dorset. Run by William and Ali Hanham, Deans Court has been in William's family for nearly 500 years. Today the estate hosts a venue for weddings and events, a vintage lifestyle shop, health-food cafe and holiday cottages & houses.
Pop-up social suppers, open-air theatres, courses and workshops, tours, beekeeping, fly-fishing, rearing sheep and growing organic vegetables in a walled kitchen garden - are just some of the other activities taking place here - all of them under the ethos of living sustainably within a heritage environment in the 21st century.
Pop-up social suppers, open-air theatres, courses and workshops, tours, beekeeping, fly-fishing, rearing sheep and growing organic vegetables in a walled kitchen garden - are just some of the other activities taking place here - all of them under the ethos of living sustainably within a heritage environment in the 21st century.
Services
The earliest part of the house formed part of the important Saxon monastery of Wimborne, founded in 705 AD. For the next three centuries it was probably the home of the Abbesses. Although the monastery was sacked by the Danes in 1015, the house survived and in 1043 became the Deanery to the College of the Minster which flourished until the Reformation.
The garden of 13 acres, set within the estate in the Stour valley, features some unusual mature specimen trees and a Saxon fishpond which fed the inhabitants of Wimborne's monastery between 8th and 11th centuries. The American Swamp Cypress and Tulip tree (both over 100ft tall) were planted by explorer Thomas Hanham on his return from a voyage to the New World in 1607.
Over the last few years, under William and Ali's guidance, the team at Deans Court has been gradually growing. We are now nearing 20 members of staff, with positions ranging from Events Manager to Bee-keeper, and teams working across the house, gardens, home store and cafe. Our mix of skills is one of our greatest assets and is enhanced by a number of volunteers from overseas.
Our cafe sits opposite our home store in a converted 1930's garage. A mixture of vintage and modern design provide a quirky backdrop for simple, healthy and delicious food, mostly homemade and, where possible, created with produce grown in our kitchen garden. We take our inspiration from the seasons and always provide gluten free, vegetarian and vegan options.
Our Home Store sits opposite our cafe, in an original 1930's Squash Court. We offer a mix of old and new products, all hand selected from independent makers, designers and suppliers across the world, vintage sourced from English markets and French brocantes.
From home wares, to clothes, candles, organic beauty products, lifestyle and cookery books and textiles and materials - we like to think it's a haven for anyone looking for something to make their life a little bit nicer.Owned and run by Ali Hanham, the shop was first opened in 2012.
From home wares, to clothes, candles, organic beauty products, lifestyle and cookery books and textiles and materials - we like to think it's a haven for anyone looking for something to make their life a little bit nicer.Owned and run by Ali Hanham, the shop was first opened in 2012.
Reviews (5)
Rachel Tucker
Sep 25, 2021
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I cannot thank Jonathan and all the staff at Deans Court enough. We held our wedding here earlier this month and it was a delight. This truely is a hidden gem in Wimborne.
Jonathan was always so professional and so communicative. The grounds are beautiful. Everything went so smoothly and completely stress free, which is what you need on your wedding day. I cannot recommend this place and its wonderful staff enough to help you with the planning and hosting of your wedding day.
Jonathan was always so professional and so communicative. The grounds are beautiful. Everything went so smoothly and completely stress free, which is what you need on your wedding day. I cannot recommend this place and its wonderful staff enough to help you with the planning and hosting of your wedding day.
Elaine Knowles
Sep 15, 2021
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Catharine Shipley
Sep 14, 2021
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Kevin Rockall
Sep 03, 2021
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David Walther
Apr 24, 2021
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