Join us for our free open days and a chance to explore Belmont as part of Heritage Open Days

Join us to explore Belmont on Saturday 12 - Sunday 13 September 2026, between 10am-4pm. We are opening this building in association with Heritage Open Days.

This fine 18th-century maritime villa in Lyme Regis is listed Grade II* and once belonged to the remarkable businesswoman, Mrs Eleanor Coade who devised a formula to mass produce architectural embellishments. More recently Belmont was home to world-famous author, John Fowles, author of The Magus and The French Lieutenant's Woman.

We have restored Belmont to its appearance in Mrs Coade’s day. Here you can sit in John Fowles’s former writing room with its wide views of sea and sky. In the garden there is a Victorian observatory tower, with hatch and revolving roof. Most of the long garden is left wild (Fowles was a keen naturalist) and it tumbles down to the esplanade, with a pebble beach and the Cobb beyond.

Admission is free and leaflets on the building's history and children's activity sheets with be available on site.

Families are welcome and we encourage picnics in the grounds if the weather is fine.

Please note that due to the nature of our historic buildings and places, some may not be suitable for those with limited mobility or certain disabilities. We do all we can to enable access wherever possible; if you have any access concerns that you’d like to discuss before visiting, please contact our Booking Enquiries team on 01628 825925 or email booking@landmarktrust.org.uk. The Booking Office is open Mon to Fri - 9am to 5pm.

At this property you are able to drop any guests with limited mobility at the house and then return your car to the car pay and display car park located 100meters from the property.

Making a donation to Landmark as part of your visit

We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to visit a Landmark for free as part of our Open Day programme, and as such we’re pleased to continue to offer free entry at all our Open Days in 2025.

The Landmark Trust is a building conservation charity that relies on donations to support its work. Over the past 60 years, public support has helped us rescue over 200 historic buildings and make them available for all to experience and enjoy. Your support by attending our events, booking a workshop, and making a donation allows us to continue to save buildings at risk and continue to maintain those already in our care. Your donation could help train the craftspeople needed to restore a future Landmark, offer opportunities for young people to experience history first-hand, or provide a charity with free Landmark stay for their service users through our Getways for Good scheme.

Donations can be made when you book your Eventbrite ticket, at the event via contactless donation points, or after your visit via our website under Support.

Description supplied by the event organiser.