Bed and Breakfast, Properties to Rent, Coarse Fishing and Bespoke Millinery at West Compton Manor
Here at West Compton Manor we run pet friendly bed and breakfast in the manor house and can cater for families with any age children.
We have a number of properties to rent, available on a long term basis for six months or more.
There are two lakes, which provide coarse fishing and are wonderful for swimming in the summer.
And to complete the diversification, we offer a bespoke millinery service, with beautiful headpieces and hats made to order.
West Compton Manor is a small family run business set in twenty five acres of beautiful Dorset countryside, designated as an area of outstanding natural beauty.
History of a Dorset Village
In the 60's a large part of the village known as West Compton was bought by our family. At that time it consisted of a Georgian house, several cottages, farm buildings and land. The land was turned into a successful arable farm, coarse fishing lakes were created, a stone barn converted and the cottages refurbished, shaping the main part of the village as we see it today. At a later date we obtained St. Michaels Church and further farm buildings were converted creating a substantial home and providing several country cottages to rent, including a Folly, the first to be built in Dorset for rover 50 years.
West Compton Manor Today
West Compton Manor could now be described as work in progress, which will probably be the case for the forseeable future. Having moved back here from London in the Autumn of 2007, we quickly realised that for any small rural business to survive diversification was essential. We found ourselves in a magical setting with an unusual property, rental cottages, fishing lakes, a church and a small amount of land all in desperate need of some tlc.
Refurbishing some of the rental cottages and tackling some of the more urgent tasks has kept us busy since then and we have certainly met a few challanges along the way.
We are striving to become as self sufficient as possible in true 'Good Life' fashion. We have already built a chicken orchard to house some ex-battery hens from the Battery Hen Welfare Trust and have obtained some rare breed chickens and bantams to keep them company. We have also recently bought some geese and are looking forward to being able to offer our Bed and Breakfast guests a goose egg for breakfast!
Dorset Tourist Attractions
The immediate countryside offers many walks and bridle paths including the imposing hill fort of Eggardon camp, owned by the National Trust. Barrows, dykes and standing stones scatter the fields, tell tale signs of occupation dating back to the Iron Age.
A little further afield is the Cerne Giant; a 180ft high male figure scratched into the chalk hillside, believed to be an ancient symbol of fertility. The unrivaled Dorset and East Devon Jurassic Coast spanning the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, with it’s status as a World Heritage Site confirming it’s significance, provides beautiful beaches for walking, fossil hunting, swimming, fishing, sailing and diving.
There are numerous idyllic villages to explore with enchanting thatched stone cottages, grand historic houses and landscaped gardens and a wide variety of museums, specialising in everything from tanks to dinosaurs to keep you occupied.
The local market town of Bridport is only 6 miles away and has a selection of chic shops and a market on Wednesdays and Saturdays selling fine local crafts and produce.
Being a region of temperate climes, gentle downlands and sweeping coastlines, it’s home to a variety of high quality producers of delicious food and drink and there are many food festivals throughout the year to celebrate this.
Dorset is second only to London in the number of artists and crafts people, with over 6,000 residing here. There are several fascinating art weeks set in local villages and promoting the local trades.
For more information on the services we can provide, please click on the buttons above. Alternatively, please feel free to contact us.