Old Yarn Mills-based Vineyards wine shop has earned recognition from the prestigious International Wine Challenge (IWC), landing a spot in the finals for this year’s Single Site Retailer of the Year in the Merchant Awards. This international honour follows closely on their recent victory at the Drinks Retailing Awards. The IWC Industry Awards, established in 1991, exist to acknowledge and celebrate the exceptional accomplishments of the UK wine industry. When the 2023 finalists were announce, the IWC were proud to state that ‘only the most outstanding businesses have been shortlisted for an award this year!’ Vineyards is in esteemed company in this year’s awards, with other finalists including renowned houshold brand names such as Naked Wines, Waitrose and Majestic. Making it to the finals of one of the global wine industry’s most respected awards is a particularly notable accomplishment for Vineyards. The family-run enterprise has been committed to ‘sourcing and storytelling’ outstanding wines since 2005. The team, led by Hannah Wilkins, her wife and business partner Sadie, along with their trusted crew of wine connoisseurs, deliver an extensive selection, are renowned for their bespoke personal service, and for generating a real sense of community. They host regular tasting evenings and workshops, cementing their position as a favorite local hub. The awards ceremony is scheduled for July 4th, set to unfold amidst the grandeur of London’s Hurlingham Club, and promises to be a remarkable occasion for the dedicated and passionate team at Vineyards.
Roger Guttridge tells how a blaze in 1942 brought drama to a corner of Hazelbury Bryan – and hears about the remains visible today
Mitchell’s shop (left) some years before the 1942 fire. Postcard from the Barry Cuff Collection
The cottages on the near-left of these pictures, which were taken more than 100 years apart, were the scene of a major fire drama in 1942, as present residents Valerie and Brian Kelly were able to tell me. At the time, the building now known as Forge House included a garage complete with a hand-operated Shell petrol pump and an ironmonger’s and hardware store adjoining. The whole place was run by the Mitchell family, including Len and Horace. ‘The shop stocked household goods, car bits, carbide batteries and shotgun cartridges, among other things,’ Valerie told me. ‘I have talked to elderly people who remember sitting on the wall opposite as people ran in and out with shotgun cartridges and other stock, all of which was put out in the road.’ The building was rebuilt with tiles replacing the thatched roof, but the original garage doors can still be seen today. The business closed in the 1970s and Valerie and Brian arrived in 1983.
The old garage doors and shop window are still evident today. Image: Roger Guttridge
They have found ample evidence of the fire, including charred timbers in the roof and joists which told another story. ‘Because it was during the war, there were shortages and they ran out of timber,’ said Brian who, handily, is a roofer by trade. ‘The joists got thinner and thinner and more and more stretched out.’ ‘Brian had to put timbers in to jack the roof up,’ Valerie added. The couple also found some stored framed building paper that would have been used to block off the windows during the wartime blackouts. Another relic of the building’s days as a garage is an AA sign, which tells us – with remarkable precision – the distances from Hazelbury Bryan to Sturminster Newton (four-and-a-quarter miles), Piddletrentide (six-and-a-half miles) and London (115-and-a-quarter miles).
A 1967 aerial view of the Mitchells’ garage and shop (centre) and the farm and saw mills next door (right)
The London distance makes me wonder if the sign-maker was having a laugh. The top line of a second sign is missing but the surviving part reads: ‘…have been sworn in to apprehend any persons seen cudgeling, fighting or boxing.’ Cudgeling was obviously a problem at Hazelbury in those distant days. The aerial picture above was taken in 1967 and shows the garage and shop (centre) complete with petrol pumps with Wonston Farm and saw mills, run by William Hutchings and Sons, to the right. Most of the farm and saw mill buildings have now gone, with houses built on part of the site.
An old AA sign with its very precise distances to Sturminster Newton, Piddletrentide and London. Photo by Roger Guttridge
The Mitchells A glance at the old Kelly’s Directories reveals just how central the Mitchell family was to life in Hazelbury. For Wonston, the 1931 directory lists thatcher Charles Mitchell, decorators, plumbers and motor engineers Joseph J Mitchell & Sons and Miss Laura L Mitchell, who ran the drapery store and post office and had the telephone number Hazelbury Bryan 1. In the wider village, William J Mitchell Sr was clerk to the parish council and collector of taxes, William Mitchell Jr was a plumber, hot and cold water engineer and decorator, while Horace Mitchell is merely listed as a resident at The Bungalow. One member of the Mitchell family even took the early 20th century picture opposite of the Wonston shop, with dog, bicycle and local resident outside.
The June BV Podcasts begin, as every month, with this month’s letter from the editor and all the latest reader’s letters. Next historian Roger Guttridge talks to Jenny about Stalbridge’s most famous resident, and Terry has a chat with local antiques dealer Craig Wharton about the time TV’s Antiques Road Trip came to town.
Letter from the Editor – Laura Hitchcock gladly welcomes June’s wooing ways, and celebrates being an overweight middle-aged mum kickboxer.
This month’s readers letters include some disgruntled locals unhappy at the coun cil mowing glorious verges during No Mow May
Local historian Roger Guttridge muses on Robert Boyle. The man who gave us Boyle’s Law was also Stalbridge’s Lord of the Manor and carried out his early experiments in North Dorset
Craig Wharton from Sherborne Antiques Market reveals that TV expert Paul Atterbury was the first of the market’s 38 dealers to sign up, and talks about how a recent episode of Antiques Road Trip featuring Catherine Southon was filmed in the Market. But on the day, Craig and his partner Philip had tickets for the opera, so they cleared the crew out by 6.30!
Finishing up with the politics round up, we hear from West Dorset MP Chris Loder, plus the current musings from the North Dorset represnetatives of Labour, LibDems and Green party. It’s worth noting that we have a strong ‘no-party-bashing’ rule for the politics columnists, which means they spend their time discussing pressing issues.
David John Rose died peacefully at home on Tuesday 6th June 2023. He is survived by his wife, Isabel, and his children; Heloise, Megan, and Erin and six grandchildren. David and Isabel lived in Blandford Forum from 2003, before moving to Colehill, Wimborne in 2021.
David was born in Edinburgh but moved to Kenya at the age of 6 weeks. His father, a water engineer, returned to the UK at Kenyan independence. He has three sisters and a brother. He eventually went to school at Pocklington, where he excelled at sport, coming 2nd in English Schools 800m, and playing for the England Schools rugby at under 16 and under 19 level.
He joined the army in 1979 and was commissioned into the Green Howards, serving with them in Northern Ireland, UK, Cyprus, and Germany. David also served with 10th Gurkha Rifles in Hong Kong and Brunei and the 1st Kings Regiment in Cyprus and UK. He served the United Nations in Cyprus and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and with NATO in Macedonia and Kosovo. David and the family spent a very happy year at the Indian staff College in South India. He was also involved in operations in Guyana, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, and Sierra Leone in 2000, where he ran the Information Operations campaign that was one of the main reasons for the defeat of the Revolutionary United Front and for which he was awarded an MBE. He retired in 2014 and worked for Babcock International Group.
In Blandford, he was very active in the community. As a member of Rotary International, he ran the Clean-Up Blandford Campaign for 14 years and the Blandford Hidden Gardens open day for 12 years. He was a member of the Blandford Town Team.
In 2020 he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. David and Isabel moved into a house with his eldest daughter and mother-in-law, and they converted it. The age range in the house was 90 years to 3 years, and there was never a dull moment. David was very pragmatic about the disease and whilst he could, he did as much as he could for the MND Association, including raising over £20,000 on a charity walk. He was so brave, and his family and friends are so proud of him.
Touring Quaker exhibition uses textile art to explore the threats to the natural world
Inspired by Hurricane Grace and the idea that Grace should have been chosen for the name of such a destructive natural event.
ooks at the threats to the natural world from environmental and climate change – and human behaviour – is coming to Wincanton over the weekend of 7th to 9th July. Loving Earth is an international touring exhibition of panels by artists of all ages, some highly skilled textile experts and others total novices. Originally shown in 2019, it has toured widely, from Quaker meeting houses and the House of Commons to venues across Europe and the USA. It has previously been seen in Dorset and Somerset and is now in its final year olf touring, returning to the south west and makiing its first visit to Wincanton’s Quaker Meeting House. Of the more than 400 panels that have been made since the start of the project, around 60 are exhibited at the smaller venues. The exhibition at the House of Commons earlier this year was the result of the Speaker of the House, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, seeing it in his own constitutency of Chorley. The panels have also been exhibited internationally in Ireland, France, Slovenia and the USA. The show at the Scottish Maritime Museum was praised as one of the best cultural events in Scotland for COP 26.
Some of the textile panels which will be displayed at the Meeting House.
A need for action The Loving Earth project, initiated in 2019, was aimed at helping individual and communities in the UK and further afield to consider and respond to the climate crisis in a personal and original way. Each textile panel addresses threats to our environment from a different perspective, and is accompanied by details from the artist on why a theme is close to their heart and what responsive action they have taken. Places, people and wildlife are all highlighted and numerous questions about the climate emergency are raised. ‘The project aims to help people engage creatively and constructively with loss and environmental breakdown, without being overwhelmed,’ says Linda Murgatroyd, clerk of Quaker Arts Network and project co-founder. ‘It illustrates a variety of actions individuals are taking, and their concerns that much more is urgently needed.’ One important aspect of the exhibition is the deep care and concern it displays for the survival of our planet and an awareness that, while none of us can solve the climate crisis alone, we can all be part of the solution
The lovely English country garden of The Old Rectory, Rectory Road, Piddlehinton will be the setting for the village’s annual Church Fete this year. There is to be a display by Dorchester Ballet and Dance Club, children’s races, a coconut shy, skittles, the obligatory ‘welly whanging’ and pony rides. The popular fun dog show will have classes for every dog! Not to mention there wil of course be the chance to buy from the many well-stocked stalls; bric-a-brac, plants, cakes, preserves and books. And of course, the Silent Auction and Raffle will b oth have wonderful prizes on offer. After all that you’llhave earned a sit down – and perhaps partake of the hog roast, enjoy an afternoon teas, an ice cream … or just head for the Pimm’s stall?! Join the villagers and enjoy a wonderful afternoon of entertainment for the whole family. Set in the beautiful Piddle Valley, just five miles north of Dorchester (DT2 7TE), everyone is welcomed to the lovely village. Entry is £1.50 Adults, free for under 16s. All profits to charity.
This month, Barry Cuff has selected cards published by J R Green, Evershot. Green is not listed in either the 1895 or 1923 Kelly’s Directories. There was a Green who had a photographic studio in Abbotsbury around 1880, producing cartes de visite – a format of small photograph card which was used as a forerunner of social media, commonly traded among friends and visitors.
This postcard of Leigh School was posted to Holmfield, Manitoba, Canada in 1911The 1911 Coronation decorations at Evershot Station – posted to Glastonbury in 1911This postcard of the Abbotsbury Swans was posted to Lambeth in 1910
The above image was posted to Yeovil in 1906. On the card are Lady Ilchester, Lady Powis, Lady Guiness, Lady Crewe, HRH [Princess] of Wales (Princess Maud of Wales) and Sir Donald Wallace. Part of the message on this card reads ‘thought you would like this spiffing card. It is good of Lady Ilchester but HRH is too much like a dragon to please me’.
Blandford-based Wessex Internet has been named the national ‘UK Fibre Provider of the Year’ in recognition of its exceptional achievements in the broadband industry. The company won two prestigious national awards at the recent UK Fibre Awards ceremony held in London – including the coveted title of ‘UK Fibre Provider of the Year,’ surpassing competitors from across the country. Additionally, the company was honoured with the ‘Best Rural Provider’ award for the second consecutive year, highlighting its dedication to connecting rural communities across Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, and Wiltshire and closing the digital divide.
At the awards ceremony, Wessex Internet stood out among other providers due to its customer-centric approach, its industry-leading customer satisfaction scores, and a strong commitment to network upgrades. The company’s substantial investments in customer service and infrastructure improvements have propelled its rapid growth and made it a trailblazer in delivering full fibre connectivity to rural areas.
Far left is Richard Coles (broadcaster, television presenter) who presented the awards. Then from Wessex Internet L to R: Jez Allman, Tessa Young, Chloe Parry-Jones, Charis Nelson and Geraint Evans .
The judging panel, consisting of seven industry experts, recognised Wessex Internet’s impressive accomplishments. The company’s innovative network build approach and collaborative efforts with the community were acknowledged, particularly where Wessex Internet successfully brought full fibre to vastly underserved areas that have been neglected by traditional providers.
Last year, the BV reported that a £6 million contract is bringing the government’s new Project Gigabit to 7,000 rural properties across the district over the next three years. Forget super-fast or even ultra-fast broadband – Project Gigabit aims to bring the fastest and most reliable internet connections to hard-to-reach rural areas, to enable families and businesses to take full advantage of technological advances in the coming decades. For North Dorset, the contract with Wessex Internet will result in vastly improved connectivity for businesses and individuals outside the market towns and larger villages. The first homes have already been connected, with an expected completion date for all by 2025.
Hector Gibson Fleming, Wessex Internet CEO said: ‘We’re thrilled to have won these two awards. The hard work and dedication of so many people across our business is the reason we’ve managed to beat the majors in our industry from across the UK to win these fantastic awards.’
The UK Fibre Awards recognises industry leaders in technical advancements, business strategies, and outstanding achievements. The judging panel consisted of experienced professionals from the telecommunications and ICT sectors.
Wessex Internet’s accolades at the UK Fibre Awards further solidify its position as a pioneering broadband provider, committed to bridging the digital divide and connecting rural communities to reliable, high-speed internet services. With a customer-focused approach and continuous investment in network infrastructure, Wessex Internet continues to lead the way in delivering full fibre connectivity throughout the Wessex region.
