Dorset has a varied coastline on the English Channel where Weymouth is one of the premier resorts. The town came into its own when George 111 took the first of many holidays here in 1789, entering a bathing machine to the strains of the National Anthem.
There is not much room in The Smith’s
Arms at Godmanstone , in fact the outside dimensions of the building are just 39’ 6” by
11’6”, and warranting a place in the
Guinness Book of Records, it is a claimant for the smallest pub in England
title.
It was a blacksmith’s shop back in the 17th
century when Charles 11 called in to have his horse shod. Apparently the King asked for ale and when
the blacksmith told him that he had no licence for ale, the King granted him
one on the spot and it has been a pub ever since.
In the 1770’s, the Earl of
Dorchester bought the village of Milton
Abbas together with
the fine Abbey which had suffered as a result of the Dissolution. With the exception of the Abbey church and
nearby St Catherine’s chapel, the Earl demolished the lot and built himself a
very fine house and park. However, the Earl did also rebuild the village
just one mile away and this ‘model village’ of thatched roofed cottages is
still a sight to behold. The Earl’s
house is now a public school and the fine grounds remain.
A very unusual grass staircase still gives access to St Catherine’s chapel, which,
together with the Abbey church is open
to the public.
An unusual incident occurred at
the Abbey Church in 1603, when 5 years old
John Tregonwell fell 100 feet from the roof. John’s nurse had taken him up to to admire the view. As the
boy reached out to grasp a wild rose growing on the parapet, he lost his
balance and fell to the ground below.
The terrified nurse rushed down to the ground to find young John picking
daisies on the lawn, completely unharmed.
It seems that his stiff Nanking
petticoat as worn in those days, had acted as a parachute, floating him to the
ground.
John lived to become High Sheriff
of Dorset and when he died in 1680 at the age of 82, he was buried in the
abbey.
DURWESTON is a small rural village on the River
Stour
near Blandford Forum.
Penalties
for relatively minor offences were harsh
in 19th century. The county
of Dorset is rightly proud of the fine old bridges it possesses and a
transportation tablet can still be seen on several of them,
notably on the graceful 15th century bridge over the River Stour at
Dursweston. It reads :
Any part of this County Bridge
Upon conviction liable to be
Transported for life by the court.
7 & 8 Geo 4 C50S13 T.Fooks.
Hovis is synonymous with brown bread. Golden Hill in the ancient Dorset town of Shaftesbury ,
will long be associated with the T.V commercial for Hovis and a huge plastic
Hovis loaf can be seen at the top of the hill.
The town was founded by King Alfred and King Canute died there in 1035.
In the 18th century Grosvenor Hotel in
Shaftesbury is one of the finest
pieces of carved furniture to be seen anywhere.
It is an enormous Victorian
sideboard, carved from a
single block of oak in the 1860’s by Gerrard Robinson. This fine piece depicts the events
immortalised in ‘The Ballad of Chevy Chase,’ an ancient border song dealing
with the rivalry between the English Earl Percy of Northumberland and the
Scottish Earl Douglas.
A robin, perched on a plaque at the side of the altar in
the church at Wimbourne-St-Giles,
recalls a series of curious events. The
plaque reads :
“ Here while the respond to the arcade of AD
1887 was building, a robin nested.
Again during the building of a new arcade
after the fire of 1908.”
Apparently the first family of robins nested near the
altar during roof repairs in 1887.
Robins were sacred birds with the blood of Christ on their breasts and
their arrival was a good omen. When the
fledglings had left the nest, the nest was put into a jar and built into the
wall with an account of the event.
Amazingly 20 years later, when the church was badly damaged by fire, a
pair of robins again nested in the same spot.
Once again the nest was built into the wall and it was then that the
details of the first nest were revealed.
Some two miles of the B3082 on the approach to Wimborne
Minster, is lined by 365 beech trees, forming a spectacular
avenue. These trees were planted in 1835
by the nearby Kingston Lacy Hall Estate (N.T) – one for each day of the year!
The little market town of Wimborne Minster gets its name from its fine twin towered collegiate church with architecture ranging from
the 12th to the 15th century. A very interesting church.
One of the most eye catching features of this church is the Quarter Jack on the west tower clock. The figure of a grenadier strikes quarter hours
with a hammer.
There is an unusual sundial in the churchyard with three faces which together can show the time at any moment during the day.
Two great treasures of this church are a chained library and an astronomical clock thought to date from the early 14th century.
A custom which has survived at Wimborne Minster is that where the Verger walks round the Minster during the reading of the lessons at Matins and Evensong with a long wand – in order to keep the congregation awake!
Although the actual location of his tomb is not known, King Ethelred, the elder brother of Alfred the Great, was buried in the Minster in 871.
There are several fine tombs, not least that of Sir Edmund Uvedale who died in 1606. His widow ‘in doleful duty erected this
monument.’ On the tomb the reclining
knight is probably a good likeness of Sir Edmund however, the figure has two left feet! which may be an error of restoration.
The most amazing tomb is that of Anthony Ettricke who was an eminent barrister in the town in the 17th century. It is said that as he grew older, he became ‘humerous, phlegmatic and credulous.’ Because he fell out with the inhabitants of the town, Ettricke made a solemn vow that he ‘would never be buried within the church or without it, neither below the ground nor above it.’
However, he lived to regret his vow and managed to obtain permission to make a recess in the wall of the Minster for his coffin. He was convinced that he would die in 1693 and had this date inscribed on a colourful black coffin, but in fact he died in 1703. His coffin can still be seen in its recess in the Minster and the change of date is clear for all to see.
However, he lived to regret his vow and managed to obtain permission to make a recess in the wall of the Minster for his coffin. He was convinced that he would die in 1693 and had this date inscribed on a colourful black coffin, but in fact he died in 1703. His coffin can still be seen in its recess in the Minster and the change of date is clear for all to see.
Bournemouth is the largest town in Dorset. Formerly in Hampshire, the town developed from a small seaside village in the early 19th century into the fine resort of today. With its miles of sandy beaches, wide open spaces and mild climate it is a popular all year round resort.
In the churchyard of St Peter's Church is the Shelley tomb, burial place of Mary Shelley (1797-1851), author of the novel Frankenstein.
On the western side of Bournemouth, Poole is situated on one of the largest natural harbours in the world.
Brownsea Island in the middle of the harbour is given over to a woodland nature reserve. It was here in 1907 that Robert Baden-Powell founded the Boy Scout Movement.
A gravestone situated just outside the door of
the church at Studland, a delightful seaside village to the south of Poole, tells, on one side, the
remarkable story of Sgt William Lawrence, who saw active service with the 40th
Regiment of Foot for some ten years. He
fought against the Spanish in South America in 1805 and then fought in most of
Wellington’s battles in the Peninsular War.
He was severely wounded at the storming of Badajos, but recovered
sufficiently to take part in the decisive battle of Vittoria. He advanced with Wellington into France and
fought in the ‘glorious battle’ of Waterloo.
He was awarded the silver medal and no less than ten clasps. William ended up in Paris during the Allies
occupation.
The other side of the stone simply
reads:
Clotilde Lawrence nee A St Germain-en-Laye (France),
Decedee A Studland le 26 September 1853.
William had married Clotilde Clairet in France and
brought her home to his native Studland where they kept a small inn. When William died in 1869, his wish for a
military funeral was respected and volunteers fired a farewell volley over the
grave of this brave man.
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