Dorset, my county, my home.

horseless carriage

horseless carriage

Well-known Member
Dorset has a high number of retirees and older people. It's a part of the UK that is very popular both as a place to live and to retire to. My own retirement gives me the chance to give you a guided tour.
I will start with what is known as: The Isle of Purbeck:
The Isle of Purbeck is a peninsula located on south coast of Dorset. The area is home to some of the country's most well loved and visited towns and landmarks including Swanage, Lulworth Cove, Corfe Castle and Durdle Door. On Purbeck's boundary is Poole Harbour, one of the world's largest natural harbours.
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Swanage is a coastal town and civil parish in the south east of Dorset, England. It is at the eastern end of
the Isle of Purbeck and one of its two towns. In the 2011 census the civil parish had a population of 9,601.
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On 5th March, 1646, the Parliament of Oliver Cromwell issued an order for the destruction of Corfe Castle
in Dorset. Cart loads of gunpowder were taken to the castle and then what had been one of the strongest
fortresses in Britain was blasted into the ruin which it remains to this day.
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Old Harry Rocks are three chalk formations, including a stack and a stump, located at Handfast Point.
They mark the most eastern point of the Jurassic Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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The heritage railway attraction operates full-size steam and diesel passenger trains along the five and
a half miles of line from Norden to Corfe Castle and down to the Victorian seaside town of Swanage.
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Dorset has very few waterfalls to speak of but at Kimmeridge the falls drop from the cliff top
straight into the sea, although not a huge drop, it can still put on a good show.

I do hope you enjoy this small corner of the county that is my home. There is more to come but for now
there is the small matter of house-husbandly-duties, like vacuum cleaning.
 

It's funny.. but despite visiting just about every coastal area in the south of England..I've always been put off the idea of Dorset due to the massive crowds that go to Bournemouth as soon as the sun comes out.. so I never want to be caught up in the motorway traffic.

I used to have a friend who was a guide on Brownsea Island and she was always asking me to go.. but I never did..

I have a celebrity friend who used to live in Sandbanks until recently.. and a friend who lives in Blandford Forum
 
Enjoyed that, thank you. I had in-laws who lived in Dorset so have visited some of the places you mentioned. However, as in-laws are no longer alive, haven't been to Dorset for a long long time. It was nice to be 'taken back' so to speak. A beautiful county indeed. :)
 
Thank you all for your comments, they are much appreciated.

Gold_Hill.jpg
Come and stand on the ancient cobbles of Gold Hill, Shaftesbury, a steep, picturesque street made famous
after featuring in the popular 1970's TV advert for Hovis bread. In the nostalgic advert, a boy pushes his
bicycle up Gold Hill to deliver a loaf of bread before freewheeling back down to the baker’s to the soundtrack
of Dvorak’s New World Symphony. The commercial is regularly voted Britain’s favourite of all time.

The view looking down from the top of the street has been described as: "one of the most romantic sights
in England" and often appears on the covers of books, calendars and chocolate boxes.
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Thomas Hardy was born in 1840 at Higher Bockhampton, near Dorchester. Dorset is the landscape
that this internationally renowned poet used time and again as a backdrop for his tales of love and tragedy.

Hardy spent most of his life in this cottage in Dorset and his works are now held in high esteem and
studied in schools and universities throughout the world. Much of the grassy vales, pebble strewn
beaches and furze flattened heaths of the county he dubbed South Wessex.

The great majority of locations in Hardy's novels and stories are set within the rural landscape to the west
of the county of Dorset. Among these novels are ‘Tess of the d'Urbervilles’, ‘Under the Greenwood Tree’,
‘Far from the Madding Crowd’, ‘The Woodlanders’ and ‘The Return of the Native’.
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A glorious slice of natural coastline featuring a four-mile stretch of golden, sandy beach, with gently
shelving bathing waters and views of Old Harry Rocks and the Isle of Wight. That is the beach at Studland.
Ideal for water sports and includes the most popular naturist beach in Britain. The heathland behind
the beach is a haven for native wildlife and features all six British reptiles.

Not all of Studland beach is given over to naturism (nudity) but the sheltered section that is, affords
discrete sunbathing without worry of either, the lewd voyeur, or prosecution of the authorities.

Fun fact: Studland is said to be the inspiration behind Toy Town, home to Noddy et al in Blyton's acclaimed
series; while Mr Plod, the town's pernickety policeman, is thought to be based on a local PC who scrupulously
patrolled the village streets. I love that snippet, reason is, my Grandfather was, in his working days, a Dorset
police officer.

The UK's oldest red postbox is still in use today. 170 years after it was installed:
The red pillar box arrived in the Dorset village of Holwell in 1853.
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Three-year-old Jessica Farrell posts a letter in Britain's oldest postbox

It bears the initials of Queen Victoria, who was on the throne at the time
Villagers mounted a campaign to restore the historic box to its former glory
It has survived two world wars and seen six monarchs on the throne of Britain.
The country's oldest postbox is still in use after 170 years, and still bears "VR"
the initials of Queen Victoria.
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The magnificent natural limestone arch was formed when
the power of the waves eroded the rock and forged a hole
through the middle. The name Durdle is derived from an old
English word 'thirl', which means to pierce, bore or drill. As
you look towards the sea, you will see Durdle Door beach on your right.

I do hope that you are fascinated by, and enjoy, the county that I call home.
For UK seniors there's a Dorset and for everyone else, come back and see what our south central county has to offer.

Just one more snippet. The UK's favourite advert features a little baker's boy, (see Gold Hill) the first photo. This is that advert:

 
Bournemouth is probably the best known town in Dorset. Founded in 1810 by Lewis Tregonwell, in an area of deserted heathland occasionally visited by fishermen and smugglers, as a health resort, Bournemouth became a town in 1870, with growth from the arrival of the railway. Bournemouth was originally in the county of Hampshire. But in the 1974 local government re-organisation, it was considered desirable that the whole of the Poole/Bournemouth urban area should be part of the same county. Bournemouth, therefore, became part of the non-metropolitan county of Dorset on 1 April 1974. Many hated it and thought that the transfer date was most appropriate.

The town dates from the erection of a summer residence there by a Dorset squire, Lewis Tregonwell, after 1810. In 1841 there were still only 26 buildings, but thereafter Bournemouth grew rapidly, especially after the coming of the railway (1870). A piped water supply made possible large-scale residential development of the well-drained but agriculturally inferior pine woods and sandy heaths that front the cliff coast east of Poole Harbour. The heaths are dissected by small, steep-sided river valleys, or chines. One of these small streams, the Bourne, now enters the sea through ornamental gardens on the site of the first pier (1860). The main shopping and entertainment centre, with assembly halls and theatres, has grown near the river mouth.

Bournemouth5.jpg
Bournemouth was the last area in the UK to abandon electric buses, known as trolleybuses they had two "pick-ups" fixed in the roof which drew the current from the overhead power line. The last trolleybus was on the 29th April 1969.
Bournemouth1.jpgBournemouth2.jpg
Bournemouth has grown to city size but still has town status, it is a magnetic draw for the young, that's young adults. There are many night clubs and bars to cater for the crowds drawn by them. But by far the attraction that brings tourists in are the beaches.
Bournemouth4.jpg
Standing room only!
Many of Bournemouth's central streets have been pedestrianised, this link will give you a good view of the town's shops, theatres and arcades.
 
katlupe said:
Do you know why Oliver Cromwell ordered the destruction of Corfe Castle?
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These were castles or country houses belonging to Royalists which held out against the Protestant armies of Oliver Cromwell and were “slighted” (partially destroyed) to prevent further defence in the Civil War. Corfe Castle is an outstanding Dorset example. The Civil War lasted from 1642 to 1649.

Corfe Castle dates back to the 1066 invasion of England by The Normans. It was first privately owned under the reign of Elizabeth I, when Sir Christopher Hatton was entrusted with the castle having caught the Queen's eye and being a firm court favourite then took on the castle. It was later handed over to the Bankes family who supported King Charles I in his civil war battle. Siding with the Cavaliers against the Roundheads was to turn out into a fateful decision for the castle.

After the Roundheads (often referred to as Parliamentarians) were victorious in the English Civil War, the writing was on the wall for the castle. An Act of Parliament was passed to destroy the castle. The order by Oliver Cromwell's government ended six centuries of Corfe Castle keeping enemies at bay. Captain Hughes of Lulworth enacted his orders and his sappers dug deep holes and filled them full of gunpowder to bring the towers and ramparts crashing down.
 
horseless carriage said:
Bournemouth is probably the best known town in Dorset. Founded in 1810 by Lewis Tregonwell, in an area of deserted heathland occasionally visited by fishermen and smugglers, as a health resort, Bournemouth became a town in 1870, with growth from the arrival of the railway. Bournemouth was originally in the county of Hampshire. But in the 1974 local government re-organisation, it was considered desirable that the whole of the Poole/Bournemouth urban area should be part of the same county. Bournemouth, therefore, became part of the non-metropolitan county of Dorset on 1 April 1974. Many hated it and thought that the transfer date was most appropriate.

The town dates from the erection of a summer residence there by a Dorset squire, Lewis Tregonwell, after 1810. In 1841 there were still only 26 buildings, but thereafter Bournemouth grew rapidly, especially after the coming of the railway (1870). A piped water supply made possible large-scale residential development of the well-drained but agriculturally inferior pine woods and sandy heaths that front the cliff coast east of Poole Harbour. The heaths are dissected by small, steep-sided river valleys, or chines. One of these small streams, the Bourne, now enters the sea through ornamental gardens on the site of the first pier (1860). The main shopping and entertainment centre, with assembly halls and theatres, has grown near the river mouth.

View attachment 315090
Bournemouth was the last area in the UK to abandon electric buses, known as trolleybuses they had two "pick-ups" fixed in the roof which drew the current from the overhead power line. The last trolleybus was on the 29th April 1969.
View attachment 315087View attachment 315095
Bournemouth has grown to city size but still has town status, it is a magnetic draw for the young, that's young adults. There are many night clubs and bars to cater for the crowds drawn by them. But by far the attraction that brings tourists in are the beaches.
View attachment 315089
Standing room only!
Many of Bournemouth's central streets have been pedestrianised, this link will give you a good view of the town's shops, theatres and arcades.
Click to expand...
What a beautiful area. I had a friend who years ago landed a teaching job at the university in Brighton. Until that time I had no idea there were such beaches in England. Now I know a little about Dorset, too. Thank you.
 
Alizerine said:
What a beautiful area. I had a friend who years ago landed a teaching job at the university in Brighton. Until that time I had no idea there were such beaches in England. Now I know a little about Dorset, too. Thank you.
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There are quite a few beaches found the English coast and in times past before easy international travel, seaside holidays were very popular.

In my early days of motor caravanning when we lived in Hampshire, we used to visit the New Forest and the 'Jurassic coast' of Dorset. (famous for fossil hunting)
We avoided Bournemouth because of the crowds. Of course, most places on the south coast were very popular in summer. I lived in Horndean which, before it was bypassed, was on the main A3 London to Portsmouth and the coast. On Sundays, there was a policeman on points duty controlling the traffic outside the brewery where the road split - one way to Hayling Island and the other to Portsmouth & Southsea. The volume of traffic from London, Guildford etc.. was horrendous.
 
My father's surname (Bowditch) originates from Chardstock, county Dorsett.

Although Hubby and I did some self driven touring in UK many years ago, I never did get to see Dorsett, because he refused to turn off the motorway when I told him to, and there was not another turn off for miles. He just kept driving. I was quite upset at the time. I would still like to return and take a look at this county. Cornwell is another area we missed.
 
Dorset is home to the Abbotsbury Swannery.
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It's possible that you might recognise it, or part of it, if you click on that link. Reason being, the sixth Harry Potter film, Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire, used Dorset as a filming location where they shot at Abbotsbury Swannery. This was for a shot at night with the tall reeds at the Swannery representing an outside area near The Burrows which is the Weasley's home.

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West Bay as seen in TV's Broadchurch.
Broadchurch creator and writer Chris Chibnall was inspired by the Jurassic Coast in Dorset, where Chibnall lived. Chibnall says that he initially did not have a location in mind for the series. His decision to set the show on the Jurassic Coast also helped him generate more ideas and tighten the writing. For example, Dorset-born poet and author Thomas Hardy's surname was used for one of the main characters (DI Alec Hardy). Alongside this, his first name, Alec, and other character's first name, Tess Henchard, are in reference to characters from Hardy's novel Tess of the d'Urbervilles. Hardy's use of the term "Wessex" was used to name the fictional Wessex Police, and character Jack Marshall reads the Hardy novel Jude the Obscure.
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One of the popular events held every year on Poole Quay, is Poole Goes Vintage. Click on the link and it will take you to twenty-six photos, set in a slide show.
 
My thanks also @horseless carriage for the lovely pictorial visit to Dorset.

When Hubby and I visited England and Scotland in 1985 I really wanted to see Dorset because of a link with my family's history. My father was a Bowditch.

However, when driving on a motorway, Hubby would not listen to me when I told him take a turn off and there was not another turnoff to Dorsett for miles and miles. I was very upset and uncharacteristically brought to tears (I was also very tired at the time).

I would like to return and spend more time in the south, including Cornwall which is another county we did not visit. Perhaps I will do so when our daughter retires but I think I will be too old to make the journey by then.

This plaque features the coat of arms for Hubby and myself

 
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Thank You @horseless carriage, I have enjonyed the trip. There were often so many of tiny villages across the US and England. These days, they have taken over by the wealthy. The crowds have descended and a once haven for the locals that were born and lived their lives has been taken from them.

I was lucky enough to have family on my fathers side that lived there lives on the side of the Chesapeake Bay and the Nanticoke river. It was a little piece of paradise in my mind. My happiest times were there, swimming, fishing, crabbing. In the summer endless wonderful fresh veggies and fruit were there to go with the seafood. If my father had not died at a young age, 36, I am sure we would have returned to that beautiful quiet place.

Then again, if my Mother had not brought us back to her state, Texas, I would not have met my husband and had a wonderful son. Still, I am always called to the water in my heart and dreams.
 
Thank you all for your kind comments, it is so pleasing to read what you all have to say. We moved here back in 1996, following my promotion. At that time I was invited to take on a new distribution centre in Eastleigh, near Southampton. The only vacancy my wife could find, she was a paramedic in the ambulance service, was in the market town of Ringwood. Although in Hampshire, Ringwood is just a few miles from the Dorset border. Whilst house hunting our agent suggested that we might be interested in a home on the edge of The New Forest that was just over the border in neighbouring Dorset. That's how we came to be where we are.

Where we are located makes for an easy short journey to Salisbury, it's not in Dorset but in the historic county of Wiltshire. The origins of Salisbury lie in Old Sarum, an Early Iron-Age fort 1.5 miles north taken over by the Romans. Under the Saxons it became an important town, and by the 11th century it possessed a mint. Today the city centre remains much as it was in medieval times, laid out in gridiron fashion. The cathedral and a large number of timber-framed buildings survive. Salisbury is a tourist and market centre. The prehistoric stone monument Stonehenge is about 8 miles to the northwest.
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horseless carriage said:
Bournemouth is probably the best known town in Dorset. Founded in 1810 by Lewis Tregonwell, in an area of deserted heathland occasionally visited by fishermen and smugglers, as a health resort, Bournemouth became a town in 1870, with growth from the arrival of the railway. Bournemouth was originally in the county of Hampshire. But in the 1974 local government re-organisation, it was considered desirable that the whole of the Poole/Bournemouth urban area should be part of the same county. Bournemouth, therefore, became part of the non-metropolitan county of Dorset on 1 April 1974. Many hated it and thought that the transfer date was most appropriate.

The town dates from the erection of a summer residence there by a Dorset squire, Lewis Tregonwell, after 1810. In 1841 there were still only 26 buildings, but thereafter Bournemouth grew rapidly, especially after the coming of the railway (1870). A piped water supply made possible large-scale residential development of the well-drained but agriculturally inferior pine woods and sandy heaths that front the cliff coast east of Poole Harbour. The heaths are dissected by small, steep-sided river valleys, or chines. One of these small streams, the Bourne, now enters the sea through ornamental gardens on the site of the first pier (1860). The main shopping and entertainment centre, with assembly halls and theatres, has grown near the river mouth.

View attachment 315090
Bournemouth was the last area in the UK to abandon electric buses, known as trolleybuses they had two "pick-ups" fixed in the roof which drew the current from the overhead power line. The last trolleybus was on the 29th April 1969.
View attachment 315087View attachment 315095
Bournemouth has grown to city size but still has town status, it is a magnetic draw for the young, that's young adults. There are many night clubs and bars to cater for the crowds drawn by them. But by far the attraction that brings tourists in are the beaches.
View attachment 315089
Standing room only!
Many of Bournemouth's central streets have been pedestrianised, this link will give you a good view of the town's shops, theatres and arcades.
Click to expand...
Just why? Surely that can’t be fun; standing up on a beach cause it’s too crowded to sit or lay.
 
PeppermintPatty said:
Just why? Surely that can’t be fun; standing up on a beach cause it’s too crowded to sit or lay.
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Patty, your comment is so logical, I really can't understand why either, but I do realise that budgets can be very tight for young families. Sun bathers may not know that the predominant direction of longshore drift is from the west to the east. Sand gradually feeds the beaches further to the east and beyond. What those sun bathers know is that the sand is glorious, they have no idea, nor care about the logistics of regularly replenishing with washed, top quality sand. In effect it is actually an artificial beach. But as I explained, when you are topping up the tan, who cares?

Bournemouth organise a cleaning team to arrive on the beach at 3:00 am every day in order to ensure that the sand, the waste-bins and the pathways are clean and safe. The tractor team clear as much as their machinery allows, in the areas that the tractors can’t reach then the Seafront Cleansing team clear the sand by hand, all fifteen miles of it. You can see the quality, and therefore the magnetic draw, of that sand from these photos taken during the covid pandemic.
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Bournemouth gears itself to tourism, whether that short stay, long stay or just the day tripper. Buses and trains are plentiful, parking is abundant and the access road to the town is a wide dual carriageway, but it still gets log-jammed, especially in the evening when the mass exodus happens.
 


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