His son, the fifth Earl of Mornington sold Athelhampton despite opposition from his father.

George Wood owned the house from 1848 to 1891 and made many repairs including the roof of the Great Hall, employing the Hardy family of builders.

The house needed further repair and in 1891 Alfred Cart de Lafontaine began restoring the house and built the formal gardens. Sometime during the first world war Lafontaine lost his fortune and Athelhampton was sold again. Lafontaine would be buried in the church at Athelhampton

George Cockrane added the North wing in 1920-1 completing the current structure, in 1930 on his wifes death Cockrane left Athelhampton and sold it to the Hon Mrs Esmond Harmsworth, who during her time her entertained Noel Coward and Douglas Fairbanks at Athelhampton.

In 1949 Robert Victor Cooke FRCS was unsuccesful in his attempt to purchase Athelhampton, instead the new owner was Rodney Phillips who owned the literary periodical "Polemic". During this time the cubist painter Marevna Vorobyev stayed at Athelhampton, her daughter Marika having married Phillips. On the break up of their marriage Athelhampton was sold to Robert Victor Cooke.

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