Live indie & rock for the Grade I-listed Earl of Sandwich’s manor with Italianate gardens. From £1,900.
Mapperton sits about three miles south-east of Beaminster in west Dorset. The Tudor manor is Grade I listed, with parkland and gardens separately Grade II* registered. The estate has been owned by the Montagu family since 1955 and is currently held by Luke Montagu, the 12th Earl of Sandwich, with the Italianate gardens (laid out in the 1920s) regularly cited among the finest in England. The house has appeared as a filming location for Emma (1996), Far from the Madding Crowd (2015) and Rebecca (2020).
We’re a Hampshire-based live wedding band that covers Dorset and the wider South coast regularly, so Mapperton sits comfortably inside our home patch. No travel surcharges, no overnight accommodation, no anxious 4am drives back from the wrong end of the country.
Mapperton’s reception spaces have the kind of period finish that doesn’t need help. Our stage setup is built to dress around the room rather than fight it. Black-finished kit, restrained on-stage lighting rather than a stadium rig, and a PA sized for the room rather than the road. We dress in stage-blacks unless you ask otherwise.
A Mapperton wedding tends to pull a guest list that’s travelled in from London for the weekend, with a strong South-coast and home-counties core. The setlist flexes accordingly: Arctic Monkeys, The Killers and Kings of Leon for the late floor, Oasis and Stereophonics for the mid-evening, modern-pop crossover (Harry Styles, Dua Lipa, Sam Fender) layered through for the chart-aware younger guests. Wedding non-negotiables (Mr Brightside, Don’t Stop Me Now, Sweet Caroline) take the back-half peaks. Between sets a DJ playlist (collaborated with you) keeps the floor moving. We learn one custom first dance per booking.
Curfews, sound rules and any in-house production arrangements at Mapperton are managed by the estate’s own wedding team, and they vary by booking. A working family estate with significant heritage gardens is one of the more careful briefs we play. We don’t make assumptions. We confirm the specific cut-off, limiter setup and any house rules with the wedding coordinator the week before, and pace the closing set so it lands at the actual end of the night.
If you’re booking Mapperton and want a band that turns up briefed, properly dressed and with the dance floor firmly in mind, send us your date. We’d love to be on your shortlist.
Backbeat is an independent wedding band and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or a preferred supplier of Mapperton. Venue specifics should be confirmed with the venue’s wedding team directly.
From £1,900
Live sets · full PA & lighting · DJ between & after
Public liability insured · PAT-tested annually · Sound-limiter ready
Backbeat plays across Dorset, Somerset and the wider South coast. A snapshot of other well-known wedding venues within about an hour of Beaminster. If yours isn’t here, tell us anyway.
Brympton House
Yeovil
Babington House
Frome
Larmer Tree Gardens
Tollard Royal
Lulworth Castle
Lulworth
Athelhampton House
Dorchester
Highcliffe Castle
Highcliffe
Sopley Mill
Christchurch
Orchardleigh
Frome
Venue names are used for descriptive reference. Backbeat is an independent wedding band and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or a preferred supplier of any venue listed unless stated.
Send us the date. We’ll come back with availability and a tailored quote within 24 hours.
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Anything else, drop a line through the enquiry form.
Live music packages from £1,900. Pricing depends on event location, performance duration, and specific requirements. Send us your event details for a tailored quote.
We perform across Hampshire, Dorset, Surrey and beyond. Whether your event is across the country or abroad, we're ready to bring live performance to you.
We require a minimum of 90 minutes to load in and set up. Ideally before your guests enter the performance room, but we're skilled at setting up quietly and efficiently with minimal disruption.
Yes. We'll collaborate with you to create a personalised DJ playlist for before, between and after our live sets. Whether you have a specific genre, a list of favourite songs, or a Spotify playlist, we'll take care of the rest.
Yes. We offer a 60-minute acoustic live-lounge duo set, ideal for setting the ambiance during drinks reception or dinner.
Yes. We use high-quality, PAT-tested equipment for top-notch sound and lighting. The band is fully self-contained, and we're experienced with sound-limiter venues.
Absolutely. As part of our service we'll learn a special song at no extra cost, whether it's your first dance or a standout main-set moment. Let us know and we'll include it.