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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From Piglet to paddock topping

Doug Procter welcomes the final 2025 foal as he tackles baked paddocks, protects delicate noses and wonders if a rain dance might help That’s it!...

Name that village …

We had fewer correct guesses of last month’s mystery postcard which was of East Stour. We’re thinking his pick this month is the hardest...

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