Out of this WORLD

In a fairytale setting in Dorset stands Wolfeton – a rather unique house, much loved and even more greatly embellished over the centuries

- AMANDA HARLING

Visitors to Wolfeton House follow a rutted track across water meadows, filled with grazing sheep and gamboling lambs. It's a bucolic scene, but nothing in comparison to the house itself, which is reminiscent of a Hans Christian Andersen fairytale: the ancient gatehouse, glimpsed through the trees, seems a sight too romantic and otherworldly to be real.

Dating from the 1400s, the gatehouse, with its non-identical twin towers joined by an arched gateway, is the oldest surviving part of the house. A plaque above the arch bears the date 1534, but the house was altered and added to during the 16th century and the plaque refers to that work, says Capt Nigel Thimbleby, who has lived in the house since the early 1960s when his mother took over the property from a distant relation. The house has changed hands over the centuries; ownership was passed between distantly related branches of the several families, so the contents have largely stayed in situ,' he explains. Nigel used to live in the gatehouse when he was home on leave from the army, but these days it's managed by The Landmark Trust. It seems to be very popular with people wanting a break in this part of Dorset. I often think I'd like to move back in, but my wife Katherine isn't so keen,' Nigel laughs.