A WEST Dorset landmark will once again be on our screens next month.

Mapperton House and Gardens, near Beaminster, is set to be featured in two episodes of 'An American Aristocrat’s Guide to Great Estates'.

The dates for the two special Mapperton episodes have been announced, the first of which, entitled 'Welcome to Mapperton', will air at 8pm on Tuesday, December 1 and will feature the Earl and Countess of Sandwich, Thanksgiving at Mapperton and a trip to Belgium.

Episode two is called 'Christmas at Mapperton' and focuses on a Victorian Christmas feast prepared in the Mapperton kitchens, along with trip to the Christmas market at Highclere Castle, better known as Downton Abbey. It will air at 8pm on Tuesday, December 8.

The episodes will be broadcast on the Smithsonian Channel, which can be found on Sky - on channels 173 (HD) or 889 (SD).

Mapperton, the home of the Earl and Countess of Sandwich, has recently been named both the garden of the year and the nation's finest manor house and has also appeared on the small screen as the backdrop for a Netflix series based on Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca.

The series follows host, Julie Montagu, Viscountess Hinchingbrooke, as she ventures through some of the most storied and remarkable estates in Great Britain. The programme describes itself as 'an all-access look at grand residences and the families who keep their histories alive'.

The Gardens at Mapperton remain open from Sunday to Thursday, 11am to 5pm, with added restrictions in place as a result of the current lockdown.

There are restrictions on the number of people able to visit per hour. Garden tickets should be purchased in advance and are available online at www.mapperton.com. Anyone under the age of 16 can enter free and tickets cost £5 for adults.

The coach house cafe and pop-up shop on site are closed for the duration of the national lockdown. The plan is currently for them to reopen in December.