Rushmore sits at the heart of the Cranborne Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a unique landscape characterised by ancient forests and stunning chalk downland valleys. The Cranborne Chase was a vast private deer hunting forest enjoyed by King John in the 12th Century, and numerous monarchs thereafter. It fell into private hands and was inherited by the Pitts in the early 18th century. The Pitts remained Lords of the Chase until its disenfranchisement in 1829. Thereafter the wider landscape changed significantly as the deer were killed and woods cut down, however at Rushmore, owned by the Pitt Family, the ancient landscape remained relatively intact.
One member of the Pitt family was Lt General Augustus Pitt Rivers who inherited the Rushmore Estate in 1880 and was famous for his archaeological excavations and ethnographic collections, much of which can be seen today at the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, and in Salisbury Museum. The General was instrumental in landscaping the Rushmore Estate into the beautiful landscape of beech avenues, woodland belts and clumps, and open parkland that is admired today. He also created the Larmer Tree pleasure gardens – a theme park of its day, which hosted theatre, concerts, horse racing, a menagerie of exotic animals, and much more. He died in 1900 but his legacy remains. Today the Larmer Tree Gardens are enjoyed by thousands each year, be it simply wandering around the manicured gardens, or attending one of the festivals hosted on the site, or perhaps attending one of the fantastic and quirky weddings held within the grounds.
Michael Pitt-Rivers was the latest in the Pitt family line to live at Rushmore, he too was passionate about all elements of the estate; it’s unique history; it’s rich biodiversity; and it’s stunning beauty, and he was resolute in his views that it should be maintained as such for future generations to enjoy. Michael died in 1999, but the current estate management strategy remains strongly influenced by him. We simply cannot maintain the estate to Michael’s standards without thriving and successful businesses operating at the heart of the estate, and it is by no small part, as a result of the hard work of our staff, that we are able to maintain Rushmore as such a fantastic place for people to come and enjoy, and we hope they continue to do so for many years to come.
Introducing the Deer Larder, located in the stunning Rushmore Park. The complete refurbishment is finished and we are welcoming bookings from now. Formerly used by the stalkers and keepers on the Estate, the Deer Larder is now ready for that glorious stay away, enjoy the breath taking views whilst relaxing in the hot tub at…
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Two large Douglas Fir trees were recently felled as part of our ‘selective thinning’ policy. These impressive trees were around 85 foot in length, with a diameter of 90cm at ‘breast height’ and an age 115 years old. The trees are to be used to teach tree climbing at a local training centre. The hole…
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Ash Dieback aka Chalara has taken hold of our Ash trees at Rushmore which is a great shame as they form much of our woodland structure and contribute to the local landscape. Whilst we are aware that genetics forms an essential part of tree resistance, we also know that whilst some trees do not have…
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Throughout the November closure we also took the opportunity to transform the Pro Shop at the club and have built in a state-of-the-art swing studio and simulator, meaning that we can now offer full custom fit technology indoors as well as people being able to play many world-famous courses from the comfort and warmth of…
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