Category: Local History

Old Stone Crosses | Then and Now

The tiny parish of Todber (population 140) doesn’t have too many claims to fame but it does have something unique in Dorset – the...

Dorset’s Dick Turpin | Looking Back

He was known as the ‘gentleman highwayman’ and is one of the Blackmore Vale’s most infamous sons. But it’s doubtful whether any of the bad...

The Ghost in Room 9 | Looking Back

Pub manager Jamie Clark didn’t believe in ghosts – until the day he moved into the historic King’s Arms Hotel at Blandford in January...

Sturminster Newton High School | Then and Now

It’s a sobering thought that the kids in these pictures of Sturminster Newton High School will be in their 70s now. The photos were taken...

It bain’t just in Darzit! | Looking Back

After kindly mentioning my previous column in the opening lines of his February contribution, Andy Palmer noted that when his family moved the 20...

Town Mills Gillingham | Then and Now

They are sadly long gone, but Gillingham’s old mill buildings once provided the town with a gloriously historic centrepiece. They were attractive enough to catch...

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Honeysuckle; born in the Blackmore Vale, ridden by Blackmore to win the Champion Hurdle

“I sold her for just over 8,000 sterling – and then she won her first time out, and was sold again for £110,000!” Rachael Blackmore...

Planning Your Trip to the Gillingham and Shaftesbury Show: Where to Stay and What to See

There is something uniquely British about voluntarily spending a significant portion of your August weekend standing in a field in Motcombe, surrounded by pristine...