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The large country estate handing hundreds of acres back to nature. But can rewilding secure its future?

Nestled among the rolling hills of West Dorset is Mapperton Estate: an 16th-century historic house surrounded by 1,900 acres of countryside. It’s the seat of the Earl of Sandwich, a noble title dating to King Charles II, whose lineage includes the supposed inventor of the sandwich itself. It’s also the family home of aristocrats Luke and Julie Montagu. But running an historic estate comes with its own set of challenges. Waning agricultural revenues, a repair bill that regularly runs to six figures, and a global pandemic have meant the couple have had to constantly look for new ways to generate income.

These days not only is the house open to visitors, but weddings and yoga retreats take place on site, and Luke and Julie even run a successful YouTube channel, sharing the ups and downs of running the estate.

Now they’re embarking on a journey that will see them hand hundreds of acres of the estate back to nature, all in an effort to ‘rewild’ the land, create space for wildlife and store carbon. But transforming the rural estate into a wilderness is no small task. And with a host of animals being released onto the estate to shape the landscape in a natural way, there’s a lot to get done.