About us
A Word From Alice
The inspiration behind the Hinton Workspace was the frustration of us not learning from the horrors of covid.
We all realised in those two years that being on our own at home was not stimulating or a happy experience. We suffered with mental health issues, became the worst versions of ourselves hardly getting out of our pyjamas and losing our minds on zoom.
Now in the post covid era the working from home concept is a reality and it is tough.
The Hinton Workspace is designed to provide a half way house. A space where you can be productive, be accountable, have the opportunity to engage with people or choose not to and just get your head down and be the most productive you can be in whatever environment works best for you.
History
12th Century
Hinton St Mary began as a farming settlement run by lay brothers from Shaftesbury Abbey.
1539–1564
After the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the Manor was granted by Henry VIII to Lord Stourton, and later by Elizabeth I to Robert Freke, Teller of the Exchequer.
17th–18th Century
The Freke family held the estate for over 130 years. In 1798 it passed by marriage to George Pitt, Lord Rivers.
1880
General Augustus Pitt-Rivers inherited the estate. The Manor became the dower house, and his architect son Alexander modernised it.
Early 1900s
The Tithe Barn was converted into a hall, the sunken garden was added in 1915, and the barn became a theatre in 1939.
1970s–Today
For the past 50 years, Anthony and Val Pitt-Rivers have run the estate. Val served as Lord Lieutenant of Dorset, and Anthony as High Sheriff.
2003
Their nephew, Olympic equestrian William Fox-Pitt, and his wife Alice, a long-standing horseracing journalist and ITV Racing presenter, moved to the village and now live in Hinton St Mary.
Today
Building on this legacy of community and activity, Hinton Workspace was created as a modern evolution of the estate’s role — a place for connection, productivity, and rural calm.
Find out more
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