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Crushing rejection of the draft Local Plan’s Housing Strategy

10 December 2021

The CPRE feels Dorset Council’s summary of responses to the consultation on the Draft Local Plan raises more questions than it answers, says Rupert Hardy, Chair of the North Dorset branch.

The view towards Ball Hill, Plush, in Dorset AONB
image – Rupert Hardy

Dorset Council (DC) recently published a summary of responses to the consultation on the Draft Local Plan. Dorset CPRE is undertaking analysis of the responses and what they purport to show.

A community response

Firstly, the recently published summary of responses to the draft Local Plan (LP) has revealed overwhelming opposition to Dorset Council’s housing strategy, disguised as a misleadingly low number of responses. This was achieved by recording the submission of each town and parish council as a single response and by incorrect categorisation of many of their responses.

A search for answers to the question DEV1: Do you agree with the suggested approach and what it is trying to achieve? suggests only 460 responses, of whom 72% disagree.

Although this shows a rejection, it is highly misleading in number. Amongst the responses are
the names of Town and Parish Council Clerks, who represent over 108,000 residents between them.

Sorting the data

As statutory consultees, the views of Town and Parish Councils should be easily accessible; but the alphabetical listing of responses by first name, rather than surname, makes this more difficult. Discovering the true scale opposition to the LP is further complicated by the fact that responses are recorded in the name of individuals, rather than their organisations. Who would know that the Dorset CPRE response can only be found under the name of Chairman Peter Bowyer, or Jo Witherden – the Planning Consultant who put together our submission to the Draft Local Plan? All of this seems like an effort to hide the reality, or at best it is a poor collation.

Town by town

CPRE also found numerous examples of respondents who had comments to make on housing policy, but their comments have been recorded elsewhere. Places such as Wimborne Minster and Weymouth are unable to support the LP, but have confined their comments, understandably, to their own town.

CPRE identified the representatives of a further 124,000 residents of Dorset towns and villages, who do
not agree with the housing proposals.
Dorset CPRE will be requesting a meeting with the chairs of Dorset Council’s Planning Committees to outline their case that Dorset Council should claim exceptional circumstances to reduce the number of planned homes, following the example of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council.

Dorset’s Green Pastures Under Threat From Developers Secondly we analysed the responses relating to the

AONB. Some 56% of Dorset is designated as Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), more than any other county in England. Much of the housing proposed in the draft LP will be built either in or very close to AONB land, changing forever the county’s unique landscape and rich biodiversity. Research carried out by CPRE, the Countryside Charity, reveals that housing that has been approved in AONBs nationally, since 2017/18, is overwhelmingly large executive homes, with only 16% affordable housing. Dorset is one of the main authorities regularly surrendering green fields as opposed to brownfield sites.

Adverse impacts on AONB

Natural England and a number of neighbouring authorities are highly critical of the Dorset plan. For example, “Natural England considers there is limited scope for major new development within the Dorset AONB above that already allocated.” With reference to development at Blandford Forum, they state that “The scale and location of the development will inevitably result in residual adverse impacts on the Cranborne Chase AONB.”
By contrast, numerous developers’ submissions propose reducing the current protection of AONBs. Wyatt Homes suggests “these sites should not be excluded simply because the village is within the AONB”.

Persimmon Grainger admit that part of the proposed Dorchester development would have an impact on the setting
of the AONB, but promise to minimize any “specific, evidenced reports” by tree planting.
Dorset Council admits that the public interest test used to justify the release of AONB for major development is necessary to meet its excess housing target and Cllr David Walsh concedes it is ‘likely’ that protected areas will be affected by development. This means that town and parish councils who believe themselves protected from development are enjoying a false sense of security.

Town and parish councils who responded to the Dorset Draft Local Plan represent 287,000 voters.

Of these, 88% do not agree with the draft LP, which proposes over 4,500 homes in or within 250m of an AONB.

Dorset CPRE now calls for Dorset Council to acknowledge the overwhelming public opposition to the Local Plan and to accept that its findings put at risk the special areas of Dorset’s countryside. Accordingly, we believe it is now timely to revisit the whole Plan, especially in the light of recent statements by Michael Gove, who clearly signalled a shift towards greater recognition of AONBs as meriting special consideration in future development plans.

by Rupert Hardy, Chair, North Dorset CPRE

Voice of the Books | December 2021

Editorial team

10 December 2021

This month Wayne is featuring two exceptionally beautiful books by illustrator/artists Angela Harding and Susan Ogilvy.

Angela Harding, you may remember, illustrated the memorable covers of Raynor Winn’s books Wild
Silence and the Salt Path. The second illustrator is Somerset-based artist Susan Ogilvy, who has
produced an exquisitely illustrated, one-of-a-kind celebration of the hidden beauty of nature and the
ingenuity of birds, ‘Nests’.

A Year Unfolding by Angela Harding £20 – signed copies available

A beautifully illustrated guide to nature through the seasons by much-loved printmaker Angela Harding. The cover of this stunning book has an exclusive triptych printed on the reverse – a perfect collector’s item, and wonderful gift.
This stunning work, the first book that is solely dedicated to Angela’s art, is a celebration of her beautiful prints, and a glimpse into her detailed and meticulous process.
A Year Unfolding is a journey through Angela’s year in nature, watching the seasons unfold in front of her from her studio in Rutland, and giving the reader detail into how nature transforms and evolves over the course of the year. A Year Unfolding also tells the stories behind some of Angela’s most popular images, giving context to Angela’s celebrated work, as well as new art created specifically for the book.
The beautiful illustrations and evocative imagery of the prose make this the perfect book for nature and art lovers everywhere.

Nests by Susan Ogilvy £20

Susan Ogilvy started painting bird nests by accident. Tidying her garden after a storm, she found a chaffinch nest – a sodden lump on the grass. She placed it indoors on a newspaper, and over the next few hours, as the water drained out, the sodden lump blossomed into a mossy jewel. She was amazed, dropping everything to make a painting of the nest at exact life size. It was the start of an obsession; Ogilvy has since painted more than fifty bird nests, each time marvelling at its ingenious construction. Every species of bird has its own vernacular, but sources its materials – twigs, roots, grasses, reeds, leaves, moss, lichen, hair, feathers and cobwebs, less usually, mattress stuffing and string – according to availability. Ogilvy would, of course, never disturb nesting birds; she relies upon serendipity, which is why all her nests have either been abandoned after fulfilling their purpose, or displaced by winds.
This wondrous book is all the more special for its rarity. Few modern books exist specifically on the subject of bird nests; the most recent among the author’s reference works was published in 1932. Exquisitely designed and packaged, Nests will be an essential addition to the libraries of all nature lovers.

Sherborne’s independent bookshop Winstone’s has won the ‘British Book Awards South West Bookseller of the Year’ four times and was winner of the ‘Independent Bookseller of the Year’ national award in 2016. Owner Wayne Winstone is one of the three judges for this year’s Costa Prize for Fiction. This year Wayne was selected as one of the top 100 people in the Book Trade’s ‘Most Influential Figures’ listing.

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

Editorial team

9 December 2021

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 examples of parish churches found in isolated positions. These include Holnest, Hilfield and, particularly, Hazelbury Bryan, where the church and Manor House are 1km from today’s main village.

Local historian Maurice Beresford in his 1954 study, ‘The Lost Villages of England,’ cited 19 places in Dorset where a village had existed in the middle ages, but was later abandoned.
There are a number of possible explanations for these fascinating anomalies, each demanding research.
Most medieval village desertions are linked to the Black Death (bubonic plague) which arrived on a trading ship docked at Weymouth in 1348 (there’s a moderately hilarious plaque on the north quay ‘celebrating’ Weymouth’s place in history for this honour). The acutely fatal disease quickly spread across the country by fleas living on rats, causing one of the worst catastrophes in recorded history – a deadly plague that ravaged communities across Europe.
Over three or four years, as many as 50 million people died in Europe. The population was reduced from some 80 million to 30 million. Breaking out in Asia (some believe not too far from Wuhan province, from where Covid 19 is believed to have spread) the Black Death came to Britain from the eastern Mediterranean, Italy, Spain and France. A familiar spread to today’s pandemic!

Hazelbury Bryan aflame!

The parish of Hazelbury Bryan, near Sturminster Newton, includes the hamlets of Droop, Kingston, Parkgate, Pidney, Pleck, Wonston and Woodrow. In 1201 the village name was Hasebere, a name derived from the Old English meaning a hazel grove or wood.
Bryan is the manorial name of Sir Guy de Bryan, of Woodsford Castle, who gave his surname to the village in the 14th century when he married the daughter of the First Earl of Salisbury.
The original settlement is the hamlet of Droop, which is the location of the parish church and Manor House.
The church dates mostly from the 15th century, though it is likely that earlier buildings existed on the site. The other hamlets in the village are believed to have originated as a result of the Black Death which twice struck the original settlement, causing the villagers to respond by burning it and rebuilding several smaller settlements on higher ground nearby. It is presumed that most villagers houses were wood, wattle and thatch (which burns easily) but the manor houses and churches were stone. So they stayed put.

Farms grow, crofters leave

After the Black Death, labour shortages forced traditional Lords of the Manor and monastic owners, to change from being lord of men (lordship) to being landlords who rented out their land. This resulted in fundamental changes to the landscape across the Vale. Traditional open field arable land was converted to pastoral farming which required fewer workers. Isolated family dairy farms surrounded by hedged and ditched fields became common.

Change continued as agricultural techniques improved during the 17th and 18th centuries causing smaller tenancies to merge into fewer large ones leased to well-to-do tenants. Ancient landholding rights were overridden, causing rural poverty across the Vale. There are many examples of shrunken villages associated with depopulation and poverty during this period. For examble, Melbury Bubb had 33 houses in 1672 but only 28 residents by 1841. As opportunities for work diminished, families were forced by poverty to depart their homes in tears as they sought new livelihoods elsewhere.

Progress or social mayhem?

These changes are a common theme in Thomas Hardy’s ‘The Woodlanders,’ and ‘Tess of d’Urbervilles’ and local resident dialect poet, William Barnes wrote in ‘Two Farms in Woone’ (see image above for full poem)

“That’s it. In these here pleace there used to be Eight farms avore they were a-drwd together, An’ eight farm housen. Now how many be there? Why after this, you know there’ll be but dree.” Barnes deplored the changes in farming which increased output and profits through better organisation, mechanisation and more efficient use of labour, at the expense of the traditional rural community.
Rural depopulation is of course still going on today. Some may say that many villages still occupied are ‘lost’ or deserted in winter because of their high proportion of second homes owned by affluent townies who have priced local people out of their local housing. The present generation has therefore been forced out in search of employment and an affordable home.

The Vale is an area with a fascinating and complex history.

by Paul Birbeck

The Georgian phoenix that rose from the ashes of disaster | Then and Now

Editorial team

8 December 2021

When fire ripped through Blandford on June 4, 1731, it was a catastrophe for the town and a personal disaster for most of its inhabitants.

But the destruction of almost the entire town centre also paved the way for a magnificent phoenix to rise from the ashes.

During the following years and decades, Blandford brothers John and William Bastard designed a new town centre that to this day is seen as a model of Georgian planning and architecture. Among other things the brothers had the vision to create a wide- open space at the heart of their development.

It wasn’t like that before 1731.

A cluttered place

From Malachi Blake’s contemporary sketch illustrating the extent of the fire, we know that pre-1731 the Market Place was a cluttered environment. The Shambles, the old Town Hall and four cottages called Middle Row stood parallel to the present-day Corn Exchange and adjoining shops but further out. Occupying a sizeable site at the junction of the Market Place and Salisbury Street was the Market Cross, where cheese and butter were sold.
A document dated 1644 refers to a set of scales ‘which the cheese was weighed with at the Cross’. The stone cross probably survived the fire but was cleared away soon after along with the charred debris all around – although the spot was still known to locals 100 years ago as ‘the Cross’.

In the late 19th century, workmen digging up the road discovered some worked stones that had originally formed part of the cross. By 1906 they were said to be ‘piled together in a small enclosure near the Rectory’. Does anyone know where they are today? These two pictures, taken 120 years apart, underline the versatility of Blandford’s open Market Place, which is variously used for car parking, market stalls, the May Fair and ceremonial events.

Then and now

The former Posting Office (far left) is now W H Smith & Son. The poster on the wall is advertising
a show. At the time of the earlier picture, about 1900, Greyhound House – the original Greyhound Inn – was the National Provincial Bank, which it remained for many years. Part of the ground floor is now vacant following the closure of Beaton’s Tearoom last year. The other part is a florist’s. In the background of both pictures can be seen the Crown Hotel, looking much the same in 2021 as it did in 1900.

by Roger Guttridge

Stairway to Heaven | Tales From The Vale

Editorial team

8 December 2021

A young girl grows

Among the students to whom I teach the guitar is a 10 year old called Laura. She is an utter delight.

Laura is serious, hugely determined, she listens to what I say (unlike some of my students), she practices hard (unlike some of my students) and every week I see amazing progress (unlike etc etc). She is one of my favourites, and when she and her dad arrive in our drive 20 minutes before the lesson starts – which I told them to do – we all play guitar and have a laugh before the lesson. My weekend could not start in a better way. Laura’s dad, Damian, is himself a guitarist and he twiddles away on my other guitars, pedals and amplifiers while I teach.
I see progress to the extent that when Laura started she couldn’t play a single chord – and now, with some prompting, she has written her first two songs. ‘We’re going to write a song today,’ I announced. ‘How do you write songs?’ she asked. ‘We choose someone or something you feel really strongly about, say, your brother, and we write about how lovely he is to you and how much you love him.’
That, apparently, wasn’t a contender so we’ve ended up with two masterpieces; ‘Pixie, You Rock,’ (her dog) and ‘Strawberry Lollipop’. With my greatest respect to Laura, I don’t think Taylor Swift should be too worried about being toppled from her throne as yet, but that day will come.

Stairway to Heaven

But we had a problem. When Laura first came to the Studio for lessons she was so nervous that she visibly trembled and couldn’t speak. I really felt for her but I had a solution. Her dad is obviously in the Studio,
so I said to Laura, ‘You and I are Team Laura and we’ll have a competition with Dad.’ Much happy nodding, as it took the pressure off her.
And for a few weeks the competition would be me playing parts of famous songs, for example the intro of Stairway
to Heaven or Smells Like Team Spirit. Damian would pretend he didn’t know the answer. I’d give Laura the answer on a scrap of paper and she’d turn to her dad and say, with the utmost indignity (which I always admire) ‘Dad, everyone knows that’s Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin’, and she and I would shake our heads sadly at her dad’s ignorance of classic rock music. Damian would look defeated and Laura beams in triumph. And Laura would be relaxed enough to sink in some guitar magic.

…my weekly telling off

And so the lessons delightfully progressed. And it appears that Laura has got over her nerves. I know this because no lesson is complete now without her telling me off. The sheer incongruity of it makes me smile. Recent indignant accusations include: Laura: Andy, you’re wearing odd socks!!! Me: I’m a man – it’s what we do. Laura: Well, it’s wrong!!

And then we had: Laura (even more indignant than normal, and that’s saying something): Andy, there’s a big cobweb under the table! Me: Can’t be, I hoovered the Studio yesterday. Laura: Look, it’s there (points at what does turn out to be a large cobweb, give the girl her due). Me: I left that one on purpose because I like cobwebs.
Laura gives me a suspicious glare and shakes her head pityingly.

And then it was: Laura (with a curious mixture of delight and indignation, I don’t know how she pulls that off, but she does): Andy, you’ve got nail varnish on your toenails!

Varnishing – the truth

And yes, I had varnish on my toenails. Midnight Blue by Rimmel (I rather liked it). I explained that while dozing off in front of the telly my wife saw fit to apply the varnish to my right foot (not both feet – she’s not a weirdo).

And I told her and Damian that in a suddy (is there such a word?) (There is now – Ed) bath. I got the shock of my life. I saw what I took to be a small black mouse or huge spider skim across the surface of the water and I jerked upright in terror, sloshing water over the floor.
False alarm: the ‘mouse’ or ‘spider’ turned out to be my Midnight Blue (by Rimmel) toenails which I’d forgotten about.
Last word goes to Laura. I asked her why she wanted to learn guitar not piano. She said, ‘because guitars are cool.’
And there, we are in agreement. Guitars are cool. Saxophones aren’t – and if any reader says they are, I’ll just imitate Laura and shake my head pityingly. You can learn from children.

Bloody Cliff Richard!

My method of teaching is not to get students to learn chords by rote as it’s boring. I get them to tell me three songs they’d like to play: it tells me a lot about them, plus I work out the best way to play them and we go through the chords. Then they can start impressing their mates by playing an actual song, plus build up a repertoire of chords which relate to actual songs, so they remember them, and they begin to see how chords work together. With another student, Paulo, at our first meeting in the Studio

I asked what song he’d like to learn. He answered, ‘The Young Ones by Cliff Richard.‘

Unfortunately we were both drinking coffee at the time, so after I’d wiped my splurted-out coffee off my Fender Stratocaster (USA-built Custom Shop, sunburst, I’ll have you know), I said, ‘Good one! But really, what do you want to learn.’

And rather hurt, Paulo repeated, ‘The Young Ones by Cliff Richard.’ ‘Great song,’ I gabbled (there’s a place in life for white lies,) ‘it goes like this,’ and I played the intro riff. Think I got away with it.

And, over the years, we’ve gone through a veritable smorgasbord (why are smorgasbords always ‘veritable’?) of 60s and early 70s songs. You name it, we’ve done it: I Saw Her Standing There, Black Magic Woman, Dock of the Bay, Honky Tonk Woman, Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood, Have I The Right, Dock of the Bay, Need Your Love So Bad, Pretty Woman, Dock of the Bay (he likes this song, you’ll note) and Waterloo Sunset are a fraction of what we’ve done. And we’ve done the Otis Redding song.
And a remarkable transition has come over me. I’ve come to like stuff from the 60s that I’d always considered below my ‘cool factor’. I’m rather ashamed at my former arrogance; there’s a reason why these songs are still popular. They’re bloody good. They’re well-written, they tell a story and they’re played well. Dock of the Bay is good.
And it’s all thanks to Paulo – teaching isn’t all one-way. As a footnote I’ll add that it’s an idea to Youtube Cliff singing the Young Ones. Not only is he absurdly handsome – so reminds me of me when I was 20 (I pay you to be accurate – Ed) – but the girls in the audience, all absolutely adoring Cliff, are dressed like our grannies. Unsurprisingly, the boys in the audience view Cliff with sullen resentment!

95 million songs?

There’s a common misconception about guitar teachers; students think that they can mention any song – literally any song – and the teacher immediately knows how to play it. I usually point out that there are 95 million recorded songs (figure from EMI) and oddly enough I don’t know every one. A bit of a lapse in my work ethic, you might think (‘don’t you take teaching seriously?’).
No matter, I still get questions like, ‘how does Ritchie Blackmore play the opening riff in Mistreated?’ Well, I have no idea, I say (I do really, but I want to make a point) but perhaps send me a mail before the lesson rather than spring that on me. Another student asked ‘do you know ‘To Sir, With Love’, by Lulu?’

‘No,’ I said emphatically, ‘It was a massive hit in 1967,’ she said, as if that would jog my memory. I replied, ‘I was seven years old and more interested in where the next biscuit was coming from…’

by Andy Palmer

This’ll be the best Sturminster Newton Christmas ever!

Editorial team

7 December 2021

Goods from our local producers, shops and craftspeople are not stuck in a container – they’re here already. And our traders are doing their utmost to meet your needs. Here’s what Stur Christmas and New Year’s Day offers…

4th December is our Small Business Saturday.
Thanks to the authorities working with retailers we’ve got free parking and special offers from our traders.

As Christmas is galloping towards us do not forget our two community shops turning your pre-loved items into new to be-loved goods for our residents and for the benefit of our community. We have:

The Boutique

Officially renamed as The Boutique (from The Community Chest) by Alice Fox Pitt in November, the shop is full of lovely, good quality clothes at easy prices – treat yourself!

The Emporium

Gentlemen – remember the Dapper Chaps boutique, everything you need for your Christmas outfits.
Also look out for children’s toys at The Emporium and children’s clothes at The Boutique. The clothes are inexpensive and the quality is good – just what a parent of growing children needs. And you can buy new toys and donate the ones no longer played with.

Stock is turning over all the time and makes shopping fun – without breaking the bank.
Do also support our other two charity shops – Stur has four fun ‘pre-loved’ shops to browse in while supporting good causes – it’s a shopaholic’s paradise for buying good quality goods at low prices.
Profits from our other charity shops go to The Friends of Blandford Hospital – raising funds to support our local hospital – and also Brainwave, helping children with disabilities reach their potential through specialist therapy programmes.

The Country Market

On Tuesdays in Stur. there is the special treat of The Country Market in the ground floor of The Exchange, open 9 until 11.30am.
Here you will find everything homemade, home grown and hand crafted. The Country Market is a cooperative, and sells the produce directly to the public (or through selected retailers) under the Country Markets label. A brilliant place for all those unusual Christmas gifts – and lovely food treats. And when you have done your shopping linger for a coffee and a chat – there is always someone to talk to.

Christmas Events coming up in Stur:

From 1st December keep your eyes open for Christmas Angels appearing around the town. They are for you to take home to keep, to give a name to, and if you like, to bring to the Christingle Service at St. Mary’s Church, 4pm on Christmas Eve afternoon.

Look forward to these ten treats:

The Car and Bike enthusiasts will be meeting as usual in the Station Road Car Park on Saturday 4th December (weather permitting)
– bring your pride and joy or just come to admire.
From 4th December to 18th December take part in the SturShops quiz to win a hamper – pick up a form from The Emporium, the Exchange, Holebrooks Fine Foods or Hansons
10th and 11th December Christmas at the Opera raising money for The Exchange and the Pantry (event now sold out)
Join The Rotary’s ‘Santa Stride’ on 12th December along the Trailway.
St Mary’s Church Carol Service on 19th December .
23rd December 5pm – Carols in the Railway Gardens
St. Mary’s Church Christmas Eve First Mass of Christmas – 11.15 pm
Christmas Day at St Mary’s Church Holy Communion 10.00 a.m.
27th December FREE PARKING for you to come into Stur and shop in the sales.
And finally, 1st January The Classic Cars (and other vehicles) Run sponsored by Harts to raise funds for the Air Ambulance. The beautiful selection of vehicles will assemble in Station Road Car Park from 10 am to noon. Come and revisit the history of road transport. For more information and regular updates visit https://sturminster-newton.org.uk/

Welcome one and all – there are new shops on the block in thriving Sherborne

Editorial team

7 December 2021

Recently the BV received a letter to the editor commenting on the emptiness of Sherborne’s shopping streets, with numerous empty shop fronts. Editor Laura Hitchcock investigated – and in fact found the truth a far happier tale.

Sherborne, like every high street, has struggled through the last few years. Physical shopping footfall is declining across the country, and the pandemic in many places appears to have hastened the end of many previously-bustling shopping streets.

It was with pleased surprise then that I visited Sherborne to find it busy with shoppers, and with a greater variety of traders on its main streets than I had previously noticed or expected. “We’ve had some empty shops during the pandemic for obvious reasons. But I don’t think there’s a single empty one now which isn’t being renovated, or has someone ready to move in” says Jane Wood, President of Sherborne Chamber of Commerce and owner of Oliver’s Coffee House for the last decade. “If you like shopping, you’ll like Sherborne. And if you like unique, independent shops selling locally and ethically sourced gifts, food, clothing and more, with some great service thrown in, then you’ve got to love shopping in Sherborne.”

A town of Indies

Independent shops are run by people who live in and around a town – and they have been the lifeblood of the Sherborne community since the abbey was built over a thousand years ago. Even during the most difficult of years through the pandemic, in the last year new names have been welcomes to Sherborne town centre with an eclectic range of goods and services:

Sherborne Antiques Market 71 Cheap Street
Regular readers will be no strangers to Craig and Philip’s new antiques market – we featured the store last month, showing how the stunning and witty window displays lure shoppers through the door, and the atmosphere of fun, the genuinely warm welcome, and of course the fascinating contents keep people inside.

There are currently 42 traders displaying antiques within the market, including three TV experts – Timothy Medhurst (Antiques Road Trip), Paul Atterbury (Antiques Roadshow) and Debbie Serpell (Dickinson’s Real Deal).
No website, but find them on Facebook here. Open 7 days a week: Monday to Saturday 10 till 5, Sundays 11 till 4.
Market Sundays 10 till 4. Phone: 01935 713760

Artichoke 14 Cheap Street
Arabella has been trading Sherborne for a few years from a couple of locations in town – but has finally found a terrific shop on the high street where she sells decorative antiques and brocante living.
Artichoke is another shop to lure you in for a browse, filled with a mix of items from linens to vintage French furniture – and also an Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Stockist.

Artichoke is open 4 days a week: Wednesday to Saturday 10 till 5. No website, but find them on Facebook here. Phone: 07854 383090

Ingredients 73 Cheap Street
A family run delicatessen & gourmet fine food store with a large range of products sourced from the Mediterranean as well as local to Dorset.

The deli counter is, as you would expect, stocked full of Mediterranean charcuterie, an array of cheeses from Italy & Spain as well as a good range of local produce, and a range of Italian & Spanish antipasti. The hot pasta boxes are a terrific lunch option, as are the fresh sandwiches (Napoli salami, creamy brie, rocket & caramelised onion chutney £4.25). There’s plenty for the sweet tooth too – the Bocconcini del Nonno (traditional soft Italian almond biscuits covered with crisp almond flakes) are delicious, and the Panettone & Italian Christmas cakes are a range worth serious exploration.

Ingredients are offering a range of hampers for Christmas – frankly perfect for the foodie who has everything.
Ingredients-dorset.co.uk

Open 5 days a week: Monday to Friday 9.30 – 4.30 Saturdays 9 til 4 Phone: 01935 713410

Caroline Nichols 18 Cheap Street

Caroline Nicholls isn’t a new face in Sherborne, but she has recently upsized from her original shop in Swan Yard. British country clothing and accessory designer, specialising in exquisite country style. www.carolinenicholls.com/ Monday to Saturday 10 till 5, Sundays to Christmas 10 till 4. Phone: 07894 545388

Candy Cabin Higher Cheap St

An old-fashioned sweet shop, with retro classics to traditional sweet jars; pick ‘n mix, freshly made instore candy floss, fresh popcorn and custom made sweet jars. No website, Facebook here 07403 289362

Lemon Vintage 81 Cheap Street

Clare has dealt in vintage clothing for ten years and has a reputation for an eye for a designer piece. Lemon Vintage is the ‘home of clothing, accessories & beautiful things; ideas and pieces to add zest to life and living ethically’.

Clare stocks vintage, pre-loved and upcycled items alongside designer pieces and high quality ethical beauty products in her ‘Bohemian space’.

Closed Wednesday and Sunday Otherwise open 10 till 4.30 Phone: 01935 813743

By Laura Hitchcock

Best Ever Christmas show 2021

Editorial team

6 December 2021

Best Ever Christmas Show – the most popular Christmas show in Dorset – is BACK!! We missed you last year so we have a brand new adventure for 2021 – a fun pantomime for all the family!

The hugely successful Best Ever Christmas Show returns to the Minster Theatre, Allendale Centre, Wimborne this December.

See Father Christmas with his jolly Ho, Ho, Ho!, laugh at his naughty Elves, and keep the spirit of Christmas alive and exciting for everyone! There’ll be buckets full of laughter, plenty of audience participation – and a FREE ice cream for every child – so book your tickets and let Best Ever Christmas Show take you on a magical mystery ride into the world of Santa’s grotto!

Best Ever Christmas Show comes to the Allendale from 11th to 24th December 2021.

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