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Category: Local History

Iwerne Minster | Looking Back

By all accounts Bob was a simple fellow, known unkindly to the locals as the Village Idiot. But a story I learned some years ago...

Ibberton Church | Then and Now

Ibberton Church is one of three in England that are dedicated to St Eustace, the others being at Tavistock in Devon and Hoo in...

Sherborne Bombings | Looking Back

It was North Dorset’s worst day of the Second World War, yet it was also a case of mistaken identity. When 37 Heinkel He.111 bombers...

Milton Abbas | Then and Now

It’s regarded as one of Dorset’s most picturesque villages and a magnet to tourists, but it wasn’t always so. In fact the tyrannical village squire...

Blandford Railway | Then and Now

This was the moment when Blandford’s railway history reached the point of no return. The arches at the eastern end of East Street had survived...

Smugglers! | Looking back

Roger Guttridge recalls North Dorset’s most notorious smuggling gang As many readers will know, I only need half an excuse to talk about my smuggling...

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Return to the ring

The equestrian summer season has been resoundingly normal this year – Sally Cooper spoke to competitors at the County Show to see why they...

Dorset Council budget relies on Council Tax to fund rising care costs

Dorset Council has published its draft budget proposals for 2026/27, revealing that the majority of new spending on social care and services will be...

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