England
Dorset

Dorset Gazetteer of Towns and Villages

Abbottsbury
Abbotsbury packs a lot to see in a small space. This quiet village on the Dorset coast boasts a world-famous Swannery, an award-winning sub tropical garden, a remarkable medieval tithe barn, an Iron Age hill fort, and a striking medieval chapel on the hill above the village.

Chedington
a delightfully unspoilt village near Evershot. Anglophile American author Joanne Paul explores the area.

Dorchester
Dorchester has been the county town of Dorset since 1305 (though not the largest centre in the county, that distinction rests with the port of Poole). An attractive market town with most of its interesting buildings dating from the 18th century, Dorchester is quite conscious of its connections with novelist Thomas Hardy.

The Lulworth coastline

Lulworth
Lulworth Cove is a horseshoe shaped harbour within the grounds of the Lulworth Estate, home of the Weld family since 1641 (see Lulworth Castle). The region is a geologist's dream, featuring some of the finest geomorphology and folding strata in Europe. The area supports a remarkable array of diverse natural life, particularly butterflies.

Lyme Regis
Lovely port and fishing town famous for its association with the novel, The French Lieutenant's Woman. Lyme Regis also is famous as a centre of fossil hunting for Dorset's fabled Jurassic Coast. Lyme Regis Photo Gallery >>

Milton Abbas
The attractive village of Milton Abbas holds the distinction of being the first planned settlement in England. It was founded in 1780 when Lord Milton, Earl of Dorchester decided that the old village ruined the view from his new mansion at Milton Abbey. So he decided to move the entire village over a nearby hill!

Poole
The port of Poole is the largest urban centre in the county of Dorset. For many years a busy fishing port, today Poole is most popular as a resort town and boating centre.

Shaftesbury
The view from Gold Hill, Shaftesbury, is one that is familiar to anyone who's poured over an English Tourist Board brochure. The steep cobbled street lined with uniquely individual thatched and tiled cottages looks out across the Blackmore Vale and fields broken by hedgerows in a scene that evokes the best of traditional English charm.

Sherborne
The town of Sherborne was once the capital of the Kingdom of Wessex. This ancient heritage is reflected in a variety of surviving medieval buildings, including the 15th century almshouse, and the superb abbey church.

Weymouth
Weymouth's heritage as a seaport and fishing centre is overshadowed by its 18th century renaissance as a watering-place, and its more recent revival as a popular seaside resort. Most of the finest buildings are remnants of the town's glory days as a Georgian resort, but there are even earlier houses to be found, including converted Tudor cottages.

Wareham
The gateway to the Isle of Purbeck, Wareham is a little Saxon Town with a long main street with many fascinating 18th and early 19th Century buildings.

Dorset Travel Guide

Dorset Overview - Dorset Tourist Information Centres - Dorset travel links Attractions in Dorset - categories Ancient Sites - Castles - Countryside - Gardens - Historic Houses - Towns & Villages Gazetteer Featured attractions Abbotsbury Swannery - Badbury Rings - Cerne Abbas Giant - Chesil Bank - Corfe Castle - Isle of Portland - Lyme Regis - Maiden Castle - Milton Abbas - Poole - Portland Castle - Rufus Castle - Shaftesbury - Sherborne - Weymouth Dorset Photos Abbottsbury - Abbottsbury Sub Tropical Gardens - Chesil Bank - Lyme Regis Suggested Itineraries Thomas Hardy's Dorset Accommodation Hotels in Dorset - Self Catering Cottages in Dorset