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Category: Local History

How an 1857 murder in India halted Dorset traffic last month

A young Dorset army officer, severely wounded during the 1857 Indian Mutiny, succeeded in leading women and children to safety despite being under constant...

The Milborne Martyrs | Looking back

This historic picture, dating from April 1874, provides a rare photographic glimpse of the agricultural turmoil and early trade unionism that played such a...

A tale of two number plates | Then & Now

My 1904 picture of Gillingham High Street is historically interesting on several fronts, not least because it features the town’s first car and its...

Handley’s Blackest Day | Looking Back

May 20, 1892, was the blackest of days in the annals of Sixpenny Handley. In a matter of hours, a fire that started in a...

Fontmell Magna’s Gossips Tree | Then and Now

Fontmell Magna’s Gossips’ Tree It’s sometimes known as the Cross Tree but a more evocative name is the Gossips’ Tree – and it’s just as...

A Garden Shed’s Unique Place in History | Looking Back

It’s home to wheelbarrows and gardening tools today but this glorified garden shed in the grounds of Manston House also holds a unique place...

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Charles Church, master of the equestrian portrait

From washing dishes in Newmarket to Royal commissions, leading equestrian artist Charles Church answers the 19 random questions Interview by Sally Cooper Charles Church’s reputation as...

Rockbourne Fair returns this October

The Rockbourne Early Christmas Fair is back at Salisbury Racecourse from Wednesday 15th to Friday 17th October, bringing three days of boutique shopping and...