5 acres of Formal Gardens | Dovecote Café | Animals | Play park | Free Parking | Dog Friendly

Afternoon Teas available from 12th September!

Halloween Bug & Exotic Animal Experiences!

Wreath Making Workshops in November!

The Walled Garden & Dovecote Café are open 7 Days A Week. With gardens, children’s play park, animal acre, events and café we are the perfect day out in Dorset with something for everyone, and in 2026 we received “commended” status from The Dorset Tourism awards. Whether you’re local, or looking for a destination during your holiday, we would love for you to visit and see our beautiful little corner of Dorset.

The gardens are open 9am-4pm (Oct-Mar) and 9am-4:30pm (Apr-Sep).

14th March-31st October, entry to the formal garden area, play park and animal area is £4 admission for adults . Under 18s FREE. Parking is free, and the whole site is dog friendly. (you do not need to pay entry to just access the café)

We also offer SEASON TICKETS for regular visitors.

The café does not require an entry fee.

The on-site Dovecote Café is open open 9am-4pm (Oct-Mar) and 9am-4:30pm (Apr-Sep), has seating available inside and outside (including benches in the gardens). Our café provides a diverse menu that includes a full english all day breakfast which has become very popular and often called one of the best in the area! Sandwiches, main meals, cakes, scones, sausages rolls, vegan rolls, freshly ground coffee, tea, ice cream, plus wine and cider by the bottle.

For all café enquiries and bookings please email:
[email protected]

or call:
01929 462243

Food serving times are 10am – 3pm with last food orders at 2:45pm

Bookings are available inside the café only

Afternoon tea is available with 24 hours prior booking

About Us

Entry: 14th March-31st October – for the formal gardens, play park and animal area, admission is £4 for adults (not required café) – under 18s are free. All entry fees go back in to the continued maintenance and development of the site. We also have a season ticket for those who visit regularly. Nov-March, entry to gardens, play park, and animal area is suggested donation only.

The Walled Garden re-opened to the public in May 2015, and has undergone significant replanting and restoration since then. A wide variety of perennial plants sit in the boarders, which have been styled in original Georgian and Victorian designs. We will see continued development of different areas in the garden, led by our Head Gardener Martin and his team. We’ll also always looking to expand the services we provide, events, and more. We look forward to seeing you!

The Walled Garden is also home to EMA‘s Moreton campus. A specialist college for young people with special educational needs and disabilities. The students study and gain valuable work experience on-site, in the café, gardens, and animal area. Visit the EMA website to learn more.

Moreton village is close to the historic market town of Dorchester and situated on the River Frome. Moreton has become well known because of its association with T. E. Lawrence, also known as Lawrence of Arabia.  T. E. Lawrence lived near to Moreton when he served at Bovington Camp and was later buried in Moreton Church Yard.  Every year thousands of visitors are drawn to Moreton to visit his grave, which backs onto The Walled Garden.  Many visitors also visit the village to see the Church’s unique engraved glass windows by poet and artist Sir Laurence Whistler.