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Category: Local History

The Dorset canal that wasn’t | Looking Back

During Britain’s Industrial Revolution, 4,000 miles of canal were developed in an astonishingly short time – but in the end, Dorset didn’t get any!...

Gillingham’s survivor pubs | Then and Now

At least externally, two of Gillingham’s pubs have barely changed in the 120 years between these two pictures, says Roger Guttridge. Confusion reigns over the...

The birth of a modern Fire Service

Our modern Fire Brigade was formed in 1939 with an aim to end a random and inefficient service. Historian Paul Birbeck explains. While leading a...

Living on the edge: Durweston bridge takes another hit | Then and Now

Traffic mayhem at Durweston bridge is nothing new, says Roger Guttridge, as he tells the story of a spectacular near-disaster 90 years ago. Durweston’s long-suffering...

Violet’s wars: the story of a Dorset heroine | Looking Back

The outstanding story of a humble Dorset woman who nursed soldiers in two world wars, and outwitted the Nazis, is told by Roger Guttridge. Few,...

Rats, fleas and Black Death (the shaping of north Dorset)

Why are so many north Dorset parish churches outside their villages? The answer is the Black Death, argues Paul Birbeck Across the Vale, there are...

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Point-to-point is back at Badbury!

Tickets for the ever-popular Countryside Alliance point-to-point, which will take place at Badbury Rings on Sunday, 19th February, are now available to buy online...

The great Dorset hedge comeback

Across Dorset, farmers and volunteers are joining forces – Rupert Hardy finds out how the Great Big Dorset Hedge is quietly reshaping our rural...

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