I almost missed my book deadline!

It's been a REALLY busy few weeks!

Dear lovely friends!

May has arrived, and what a few weeks it has been! There has been filming in Scotland, a House of Worth gown to collect from Hampton Court Palace, our very first textiles retreat at Mapperton, a state visit, a talk in Blandford Forum, and—somewhere in the middle of it all—a book finally going to print. I’m so glad to sit down and bring you up to speed.

In this newsletter, I’ll be sharing:

· Filming at Dumfries House for The King’s Foundation

· Alberta’s House of Worth gown at Hampton Court Palace

· Our inaugural Textiles & Tapestries Retreat at Mapperton

· The latest Substack: a cookbook in a Dorset attic

· The West Room: our most ambitious restoration yet

· The Countess of Sandwich Society

· Speaking at the Corn Exchange, Blandford Forum

· King Charles’s state visit (and a few television moments)

· The book!

Let’s dive in!

Filming at Dumfries House

I took the train up to Scotland with Victoria, our series producer. The night before our shoot, we sat down with Stephen and Claire—our camera crew—to walk through the next day: call sheets, risk assessments, every beat we wanted to hit.

For anyone who hasn’t followed the story, Dumfries House is the great Adam-designed Palladian house in Ayrshire that the King famously stepped in to save in 2007, leading the consortium that bought the house and its irreplaceable Chippendale furniture before the contents were sold off and scattered. It is now home to The King’s Foundation, and the work being done there is genuinely remarkable.

We filmed the interiors, of course, but also some of the wonderful courses they run—textiles, farming, hospitality—and the whole estate was buzzing because the King himself was due to arrive the following week.

You could feel everyone gearing up for it!

If you’re a member of the Countess of Sandwich Society, then you’ve already seen a lot of behind the scenes about this!

If you’re not a member yet, it’s time to join and catch up!

The House of Worth gown at Hampton Court Palace

The moment we landed back in London, I went straight down to Mapperton for a single day, then turned around and headed up to Hampton Court Palace to collect Alberta’s House of Worth dress. The Royal School of Needlework, based at Hampton Court, has been doing the most exquisite restoration and conservation work on it.

If you’ve followed Alberta’s story, you’ll know how much this gown means…and seeing it back in person, treated by some of the best textile conservators in the world, was beyond moving.

We filmed it! And I cannot wait for you to see the episode.

The Royal School of Needlework is, simply, outstanding.

Our inaugural Textiles & Tapestries Retreat

We have just wrapped our very first Textiles & Tapestries Retreat at Mapperton, and it could not have gone better. Twelve wonderful women joined us, totally sold out, and the weather was, against all odds, sensational throughout.

The big moment was the unveiling of the peacock tapestry. Emma Telford—the UK’s leading tapestry conservator—brought it down herself, and we placed it back into the West Room, where I think it will stay. Emma and I did a Q&A together when it was revealed, which was such a treat.

Over two days, Deborah Wilding from the Royal School of Needlework led the group in stitching a motif drawn from one of our 18th-century dresses, working in the coach house. We had breakfast in the dining room, a welcome dinner with Chef Joe, an evening at the local pub, and then a three-course farewell dinner that was, honestly, sensational. I taught yoga in the morning, the gardens were in full bloom, and we sent everyone home a little reluctantly.

A handful of places remain for our September retreat, where guests will stitch a motif drawn from Alberta’s House of Worth gown now on display in the house.

A new Substack: a cookbook in a Dorset attic

My latest Gilded Heiresses piece is up on Substack, and it’s one I’m rather proud of. It’s the story of a typed, clipped, very practical cookbook that sat in the Mapperton attic for nearly a century—and the American heiress turned Countess who once owned it.

It’s also a small sneak peek at one of the moments from the book.

The West Room: our most ambitious restoration yet

Last week, I met with Malcolm in London to start putting the pieces together for the most ambitious heritage restoration we have ever undertaken at Mapperton: a complete redo of the West Room.

I’ve spent so many hours in that room with the textiles that it makes sense it would be the one. We’re talking hand-painted wallpaper, new damask linings, fresh silk on the duchesse brisée, and a colour palette I’m still falling in love with. I’ve also brought in another extraordinary collaborator (more on her very soon).

Things will start moving fast. By the end of May, I’ll be sharing exactly how this is going to come together—and a really clever way for you to be part of it. It is beyond exciting.

The Countess of Sandwich Society: pull up a chair

I built the Countess of Sandwich Society so that no matter where you are in the world, you have a seat at the table. It is completely free to join, and—I have to say—it is taking off in a way I didn’t quite see coming.

The latest post about it has just passed 300,000 views.

If you haven’t yet, come on in. The conversation is wonderful, and there is a lot in the diary for the months ahead.

Speaking at the Corn Exchange, Blandford Forum

I had the joy of speaking to a hundred people at the Corn Exchange in Blandford Forum—a beautiful 18th-century building designed by the Bastard brothers, the same brothers who built our staircase hall at Mapperton. (I do love a Dorset coincidence.)

We talked about Mapperton, the many restoration projects underway, and the YouTube channel. A lovely evening from start to finish.

King Charles’s state visit (and a few television moments)

The big news in late April was, of course, King Charles’s state visit to the United States. I was up bright and early on Monday the 27th to film with Sky News, and then later did a longer podcast with Krishnan Guru-Murthy on Channel 4’s Fourcast.

We covered the state visit itself and the wider story of the British monarchy in America.

The book (it’s time to preorder!)

I had twenty minutes to spare on the deadline, but Secrets of an English Country House: A Year at Mapperton is officially at the printers. It is already a bestseller, and I am over the moon.

Here’s where I’m asking for your help: I’m trying to reach 3,000 pre-orders before publication day on 24th September.

Pre-orders genuinely make an enormous difference to how a book is stocked and noticed, so if you’ve been thinking about it, this is the moment.

You also receive a beautiful set of pre-order gifts—a Patron-only Q&A, a digital scrapbook, a signed bookplate, and more—when you complete the claim form.

The following link will take you to all the info you need, including how to order via independent bookstores and Amazon…so that you have a choice!

Thank you—truly—for being here. There is so much in motion right now, and knowing some of you will be reading the book, joining the Countess of Sandwich Society, and turning up to the next retreat is what makes any of it worth doing.

With love and gratitude,

Julie