After months of planning, designing and dreaming about the restoration of the West Room, my scarf has finally arrived! 🎉

The West Room at Mapperton hasn't been touched in over sixty years. The same curtains have hung at its windows since before the moon landing—faded, thinning, and holding on out of sheer good manners. The walls... don't get me started! AHHHHH!

We're finally bringing it back. Hand-painted silk wallpaper, damask blinds and upholstery woven in England, and a beautiful old daybed reupholstered after a very long wait.

To pay for it, I've worked with award-winning designer Rory Hutton—who has created collections for the Royal Collection Trust, the V&A, Westminster Abbey and Highgrove—on a limited run silk scarf and pocket square, drawn entirely from Mapperton itself.

🧣 Shop the collection here: https://mapperton.com/rory-hutton-x-m...

Look closely and you'll find twelve motifs hidden in the design, one for every chapter of my life as the 12th Countess of Sandwich. There are peacocks. There's Alberta Montagu's House of Worth gown. The Montagu family tiara I wore on my wedding day.  There's even my pink swimming cap, which I'm told is now famous whether I like it or not. And of course, a Sandwich!

Once they've gone, they've gone. There won't be another run.

☕ Can't stretch to a scarf but want to help anyway? There are smaller ways in, from $5, with a personalised certificate and digital artwork as a thank you: https://buymeacoffee.com/juliejmontagu

Every penny of profit goes into that room. And when it's finished (we will ofc be documenting everything here on Youtube), one scarf will be framed and hung on its wall—so the story visitors hear in fifty years isn't only about the earls and countesses who slept there. It's about the people who brought it back. xx Julie

What a few days at Newby Hall!  The re-opening of the Rock Garden, a celebration and meeting Stephanie and Phillipe from ‪@TheChateauDiaries‬  

Visit Newby Hall and Gardens here:  https://www.newbyhall.com

Urban Grow: Beautiful things made for beautiful gardens: https://urbangrow.co.uk

MY BOOK IS AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER!
Secrets of an English Country House: A Year at Mapperton — nearly two years in the making, and it's finally real. Publication date: 24th September 2026. Pre-order now from Amazon, Bookshop.org or Barnes & Noble — link in bio has everything you need. Deadline to pre-order is 23rd September 2026.
Pre-order bonuses:
✨ PATRONS: exclusive live online Q&A + monthly digital scrapbook of unpublished images + a Patron-only signed downloadable bookplate (plus one more surprise!)
✨ NOT YET A PATRON? 3 months free Mapperton Live! membership + entry into a draw for 1 of 100 spots in a live Q&A + signed downloadable bookplate + a Christmas card from me and Luke by post in December

Our Grand Historic Tour is a 5-night, 6-day experience of country house life at its finest—with black-tie dinners, concerts, and private visits to other historic estates. We still have a few places remaining for October 2026, so don’t wait!
Discover more: https://www.grandhistorictours.com
Register your interest: https://form.jotform.com/201263241477046

✨ Newsletters You’ll Love

Julie is now writing regularly about the Gilded Age and Gilded Heiresses. If you love HBO Max’s The Gilded Age, you’ll love what Julie is sharing!
Read her essays here: https://gildedheiresses.com

We’ve also launched our brand-new Mapperton Live newsletter on Substack: https://mappertonlive.substack.com
This is where we share the joys and challenges of life on a 21st-century English country estate, with monthly newsletters and breaking news.

And don’t miss Julie’s American Countess newsletter, which you can subscribe to here: https://americancountess.co.uk


✨ Stay at Mapperton!
Experience the charm of the Dorset countryside by staying in one of our beautifully restored properties at Mapperton Estate:
🏡 The Gamekeeper’s Cottage – 2 bedrooms, sleeps up to 5
🌳 The Garden Cottage – 3 bedrooms, sleeps up to 6
🐑 The Farmhouse – Our newly renovated 5-bedroom home, perfect for family gatherings or group retreats, sleeps up to 10
Book your countryside escape now: https://mapperton.lodgify.com

📚 Julie’s Best-Selling Books on Health and Wellbeing
Discover Julie’s celebrated books:
Superfoods Superfast: https://www.amazon.com/Superfoods-Sup...
Superfoods, The Flexible Approach: https://www.amazon.com/Superfoods-Fle...
Eat Real Foods: https://www.amazon.com/Eat-Real-Food-...
Recharge: https://www.amazon.com/Recharge-Year-...

We look forward to welcoming you to Mapperton soon! 🤗

Warm regards,
Luke & Julie