Hauntings and films and TV made at Athelhampton House

Here's a look at the recent and not so recent history of this 1485 estate.

Did you know an episode of Doctor Who was once filmed at Athelhampton House?

Scenes from 'The Seeds of Doom' were shot at the home. The show, screened in 1976, saw fan favourite Tom Baker portray the famous Time Lord.

In the episode two dangerous, infectious alien seed pods are found in Antarctica. One falls into the hands of plant collector Harrison Chase, played by Tony Becker.

When one of his henchmen becomes infected and goes on the rampage, Doctor Who saves the day. Athelhampton House, once owned by the Cooke family and now owned by Giles Keating, doubles up for Chase's mansion in the episode.

Athelhampton House

The 15th century estate has proved extremely popular with TV and film crews over the years. It was exclusively used for all exterior shots in the 1972 thriller Sleuth, starring Michael Caine and Laurence Olivier. The pair were given the servants' quarters in the north wing as dressing rooms.

Athelhampton House was also used as a location for Elizabeth, a drama-documentary about the life and reign of the monarch shot for Channel Four in 2000. And in 2003 an episode of ghost-hunting show Most Haunted was filmed at the stately home, reputedly one of the spookiest spots in the country.

More recently, in October 2008, Downton Abbey creator and Dorchester resident Lord Julian Fellowes shot much of his film From Time to Time at Athelhampton. The cast included Dame Maggie Smith, Timothy Spall, Dominic West and Hugh Bonneville.

It was filmed at Athelhampton as well as nearby Puddletown and the village’s St Mary’s Church.

It was an adaptation of Lucy Bonnet’s series of books The Children of Green Knowe and told the story of a 13-year-old boy in post-war Britain who goes to stay at the old home of his grandmother, played by Dame Maggie.

While there he is visited by ghostly apparitions from 200 years ago that reveal clues to his family history.

Which leads us to a very interesting link - the rumour of Athelhampton's somewhat unusual ghost!

Yes, Athelhampton House is thought to be haunted by the ghost of an ape.

The stately home has a reputation as one of the most haunted houses in the country.

The most notorious of the ghoulish characters rumoured to be roaming the estate is that of an ape that belonged to the Martyn family, who owned Athelhampton House in the 16th century.

The image of an ape can be seen on the Martyn coat of arms which adorn the stained glass windows in Athelhampton's Great Hall.

The Great Hall

Legend has it the ape was trapped in a secret passage leading from the Great Chamber and, although it is never seen, the sound of scratching can be heard on the panels as the beast tries to escape.

Other tales of ghostly goings-on in the house include a pair of duellists battling in the Great Chamber, the sound of a cat's feet padding up the Great Stairway and the ghost of a cooper tapping barrels in the wine cellar.

The house is also reported to have common visits from the spiritual world by the Grey Lady of Athelhampton and the Black Priest, a hooded monk dressed in black who is believed to be the ghost of a Catholic priest of the Martyn family.