a Purbeck high point

...we were looking forward to enjoying another sunny day but the extent to which the cloud would push east was always in question. In the event, we had to be content with a pleasant dry day under the cover of thin cloud.

Following a couple of days of sunny, frosty weather, we decided it would be dry enough under foot to do a coast walk. There are several delightful routes using Kingston as a start and end point. Two of these include Swyre Head, which at 208m is the highest point in Purbeck and qualifies as a Marilyn. Nestled under the easterly slopes of Swyre Head is the estate of Encombe House. The land here was given by King Aedred to Aelfthryth, Abbess of Shaftesbury, in 948 and remained as abbey land until the dissolution of the monasteries during the reformation, after which it was purchased by Robert Culliford of Devon who built a house on the site of the present one.

In 1734, it was sold to George Pitt who gave it to his son John. cousin to William Pitt the Elder. Both Pitt the Elder and Pitt the Younger were regular visitors to the house that, by then, had been significant enlarged and remodelled.

In 1807, John Scott 1st Earl of Eldon, who was then Lord Chancellor, bought the property and stayed here as often as possible despite the three day journey from London. The Scott family owned the estate until 2002 when it was sold to Charles McVeigh. It was again on the market in 2008. Two of the big names that expressed an interest were Sir Richard Branson and Kylie Minogue. It was eventually purchased in 2009 by the Gibraltar Ferry and Airline magnate, James Gaggero for £20 million. He doesn't live here and just uses it as a hunting lodge. I often wonder what would have happened if Kylie had moved in :)

There was a pheasant shoot taking place this afternoon, which, in the terrible light, seemed a recipe for an accident. The gloom meant I had to up the ISO to 400 but even in dying rays there is plenty of detail in this view. The shooting party can be seen in the dip to the right of the grassy knoll. The church of Worth Matravers and the Swanworth Stone Quarry are both visible behind West Hill, but one of the most obvious landmarks is St Aldhelm's Head, which is also part of the Encombe estate.

Note: since originally posting it, I have changed the image to B&W...