Becoming a bestseller and ANOTHER launch?!

Dear wonderful readers,

The leaves are falling fast, the skies are turning grey, and things are, of course, wonderfully busy here! From castle visits and vlogs to tulip orders and secret projects, we’ve entered that beautiful seasonal rhythm of cosy mornings and full schedules.

Here’s what I’m sharing in this newsletter:

• Season 5 of American Countess has officially begun!
• A look back at this year’s Grand Historic Tour
• A major Patreon launch is coming soon…
• Mapperton Live! is just 4 patrons away from 700
• Gilded Heiresses is now a Substack Bestseller
• Gardening in the rain and tulip dreams
• A seaside holiday and getting back to running

Season 5 is here!

I’m delighted to share that we are now officially in Season 5 of American Countess!

From now through next summer, we’ll be releasing one new historic house episode every month—plus weekly videos featuring vlogs, travel stories, garden life, recipes, and more.

As I’ve mentioned before, we lost some of key funding when new budgets for business around the UK were introduced in April. So we’ve had to change things up a bit. We didn’t want to sacrifice quality or getting you 12 houses a year, so we’ve added in more lifestyle blogs and spaced complete episodes out.

We’re kicking off with one of our most ambitious seasons yet, and I couldn’t be more grateful to everyone who’s helped us get here.

Grand Historic Tour 2025: unforgettable

Our third Grand Historic Tour welcomed twelve wonderful guests from America for five days of truly extraordinary experiences. I’ve included some photos from the week below—it really was a tour to remember.

Here’s a little of what we got up to:

• A warm welcome at Mapperton with tea, cake, and dinner with Luke and me
• Yoga outside (the sun was shining!) followed by garden, rewilding, and house tours
• A private visit to Sherborne Castle, where the owner, Mariah Wingfield Digby gave the tour and even cooked us lunch
• A trip to Powderham Castle, complete with a house and grounds tour and lunch with the Earl of Devon
• A full day along the Jurassic Coast, including fossil hunting in Lyme Regis, antique shopping, and classic fish & chips
• Our special American Heiress Supper, using recipes from Alberta’s own 120 year old cookbook with engraved silver from Alberta’s collection
• A black-tie dinner on the final night, a concert in the library and impeccable service from Dan the Butler (who knew everyone’s drink order before they asked!)

If you’re curious to see more, I’ll be sharing extra images and reflections over on Patreon and Substack this month.

And if you’d like to join us next year…there are just a couple of spots left for October 2026!

(or email sam@mapperton.com!)

Something BIG is coming to Patreon…

Over the past few months, we’ve been quietly working on something truly special behind the scenes—a new direction that combines everything I love about American Countess: storytelling, history, digital preservation, and community.

Launching around Thanksgiving, this new piece to our ever-growing puzzle will be available exclusively to patrons for the first few months.

It’s all about building a lasting legacy for the country houses we visit, preserving their stories, and celebrating the essential role of our patrons in helping keep this work alive.

It really is going to be HUGE! So, if you’re already a patron, THANK YOU! You’ll get access before anyone else.

And if you’ve yet to join as a patron, this is your chance to get in before this big launch and to be a part of preserving history.

(All patrons will be credited within this new thing!)

I can’t wait to share more.

Become a patron and be part of it from the start

Mapperton Live: just 4 patrons away from 700!

Speaking of patrons, our Mapperton Live! Patreon community is just 4 patrons away from hitting 700—and when we reach that milestone, we’ll be releasing a brand new digital scrapbook to every patron!

This next volume includes never-before-seen documents and photographs from Mapperton’s archives, tracing the house’s life through war, restoration, and family history.

Here’s a little preview:

Over on Mapperton Live, patrons get:
• Exclusive vlogs + behind-the-scenes blogs
• Access to live Q&As
• The chance to submit questions for our “Spill the Tea” series
• Full access to the growing digital archive

Help us reach our goal and unlock the next scrapbook for all! (You’ll also get a certificate stating that you’re one of the first 700 patrons!)

Join Mapperton Live on Patreon

Gilded Heiresses is now a Substack Best Seller!

I’m thrilled to announce that Gilded Heiresses is now officially a Substack Best Seller!

If you’re new to Substack: it’s a platform where I publish exclusive posts, essays, and recordings several times a week. It’s kind of like a combo of a blog, a YouTube channel, a podcast, and Instagram. It’s pretty cool!

At Gilded Heiresses, you’ll find:

In-depth articles on the Gilded Age
Research notes from my travels (re-tracing the heiresses steps)
Audio recordings of Alberta’s letters
Essays on lineage, inheritance, fashion, and power

You can check it out simply by visiting gildedheiresses.com.

There is free content on there, and there’s also exclusive content that you’ll need a subscription to access.

All American Countess patrons at Alberta tier and above receive free access to Gilded Heiresses as part of their membership!

(If you’ve joined Patreon and haven’t been added to Substack yet, please email my assistant..she’ll sort you out: shelly@mapperton.com)

Plus, Substack has the option to join a special tier, which I’m calling The 400. You can read about that here. When you join The 400, you get a personal video from me, access to special salon gatherings, your name in the Gilded Heiresses book (which will live in Mapperton for history to find later!), and so many other special things. I hope you’ll join!

Join the Alberta tier on Patreon to get double the content for only one subscription!

Gardening through the rain

Rain or shine, my Gardening through the Seasons course continues—and I’m still learning so much.

(As I send you this, it’s pouring absolute BUCKETS…and I have gardening class today!)

The Italianate Garden is my next focus, with tulip planning in full swing (800 bulbs!). We’re creating something truly spectacular for next spring, and I’ll be sharing planting photos soon!

Running again and seaside fossil breaks

After a long stretch recovering from my ankle injury, I’m finally running again! I’m building back slowly, but it feels so good to be out and moving.

And after the Grand Historic Tour, we had a quick little holiday, where I got in some weightlifting, swimming, spa time, and plenty of inspiration for the months ahead. We’ve been so full on the last few months that rest was definitely needed…though we did catch up on a lot of digital work poolside!

Thank you, as always, for being here. Your encouragement, curiosity, and support—whether on Patreon, Substack, YouTube, or just by reading these newsletters—means the world to me.

With love and gratitude,
Julie