For other uses, see Dorset (disambiguation).

Dorset

Geography
Status	Ceremonial & (smaller) Non-metropolitan county
Origin:	Historic
Region:	South West England
Area - Total - Admin. council - Admin. area	Ranked 20th 2,653 km² Ranked 21st 2,542 km²
Admin HQ:	Dorchester
Largest City/Town:	Bournemouth (Unitary Authority)
ISO 3166-2:	GB-DOR
ONS code:	19
NUTS 3:	UKK22
Demographics
Population - Total (2005 est.) - Density - Admin. council - Admin. pop.	Ranked 30th 701,900 265 / km² Ranked 31st 401,200
Ethnicity:	98.1% White
Politics
Dorset County Council http://www.dorsetforyou.com/
Executive	Conservative
Members of Parliament	Annette Brooke John Butterfill Christopher Chope Tobias Ellwood Jim Knight Oliver Letwin Robert Syms Robert Walter
Districts
Weymouth and Portland West Dorset North Dorset Purbeck East Dorset Christchurch Bournemouth (Unitary) Poole (Unitary)

Dorset (pronounced 'DOR-sit' or [dɔ.sət], and sometimes in the past called Dorsetshire) is a county in the south-west of England, on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester, situated in the south of the county at 50°43′00″N, 02°26′00″W. Between its extreme points Dorset measures 50 miles (80 km) from east to west and 40 miles (64 km) north to south, and has an area of 1,024 square miles (2,653 km²). Dorset borders Devon to the west, Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north-east, and Hampshire to the east. The county is largely rural with a relatively low population and population density. Dorset's motto is 'Who's Afear'd'. Image File history File links LinkFA-star. ... Dorset is a place name: Dorset is a county in south west England. ... map of admin county File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Ceremonial counties of England are areas of England that are appointed a Lord-Lieutenant, and are defined by the government with reference to the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England. ... Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government. ... The traditional counties of England are ancient subdivisions of England into around forty areas, which were used for both administrative and general geographical demarcation for several hundreds of years. ... South West England is one of the regions of England. ... This article explains the meaning of area as a Physical quantity. ... This is a List of Ceremonial counties of England by Area. ... To help compare orders of magnitude of different geographical regions, we list here areas between 1,000 km² and 10,000 km². See also areas of other orders of magnitude. ... Square kilometre (US spelling: Square kilometer), symbol km², is an SI unit of surface area. ... This is a List of Administrative shire counties of England by Area, that is to say Administrative counties with a two-tier County council structure, not including Administrative counties which are Unitary Authorities. ... Square kilometre (US spelling: Square kilometer), symbol km², is an SI unit of surface area. ... The main road through Dorchester Dorchester is a market town in south west Dorset, England, situated on the River Frome and A35 road 20 miles west of Poole and five miles north of Weymouth. ... Bournemouth is a large resort town on the south coast of England. ... The ISO 3166-2 codes for the United Kingdom correspond to the nations administrative divisions. ... The Office for National Statistics coding system is a hierarchical code used in the United Kingdom for tabulating census and other statistical data. ... The Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS) is a geocode standard for referencing the administrative division of countries for statistical purposes. ... Density (symbol: ρ - Greek: rho) is a measure of mass per volume. ... This is a List of Ceremonial counties of England by Population - 2002 mid-year estimates from the Office for National Statistics, unrounded figures published by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in the Entitlement Notification Reports for Revenue Support Grants [1]. See also: List of Administrative shire counties of... This is a list of non-metropolitan counties of England by population. ... Arms of Dorset County Council. ... The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative & Unionist Party) is currently the second largest political party in the United Kingdom in terms of sitting Members of Parliament (MPs), and the largest in terms of public membership. ... This is a list of MPs elected in the UK general election, 2005 to the House of Commons for the Fifty-Fourth Parliament of the United Kingdom at the United Kingdom general election, 2005, arranged by constituency. ... Annette Lesley Brooke (born June 7, 1942) British politician. ... Sir John Valentine Butterfill (born February 14, 1941) is a Conservative politician in the United Kingdom. ... Christopher Robert Chope OBE (born May 19, 1947) British politician and barrister. ... Tobias Ellwood is the Conservative MP for Bournemouth East. ... James Knight known as Jim Knight (born 6 March 1965, Bexley) is a British politician for the Labour Party who has been a Member of Parliament since 2001. ... Oliver Letwin Oliver Letwin PC (born May 19, 1956, Hampstead), British Member of Parliament for West Dorset, and Chairman of the Policy Review and Chairman of the Conservative Research Department. ... Robert Andrew Raymond Syms (born 15 August 1956, Chippenham) is a politician in the United Kingdom. ... Robert John Walter, Bob Walter, (born 30 May 1948, Swansea) is a politician in the United Kingdom. ... Districts in the Ceremonial County of Dorset. ... Weymouth and Portland is a local government district and borough in Dorset, England. ... www. ... North Dorset is a local government district in Dorset, England. ... Purbeck is a local government district in Dorset, England, named for the Isle of Purbeck. ... East Dorset is a local government district in Dorset, England. ... Christchurch is a town in Dorset, England on the English Channel coast. ... Bournemouth is a large resort town on the south coast of England. ... Poole is a coastal town, port and tourist destination, situated on the shores of the English Channel, in the ceremonial county of Dorset in southern England. ... A shire is an administrative area of Great Britain and Australia. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ... Satellite view of the English Channel The English Channel (French: La Manche (IPA: ), the sleeve) is the part of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the island of Great Britain from northern France and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. ... A county town is the capital of a county in Ireland or the United Kingdom. ... The main road through Dorchester Dorchester is a market town in south west Dorset, England, situated on the River Frome and A35 road 20 miles west of Poole and five miles north of Weymouth. ... A mile is a unit of length, usually used to measure distance, in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, United States customary units and Norwegian/Swedish mil. ... km redirects here. ... This article is about the unit of measure. ... Square kilometre (US spelling: Square kilometer), symbol km², is an SI unit of surface area. ... Devon is a large county in South West England, bordered by Cornwall to the west, Dorset and Somerset to the east. ... Somerset is a county in the south-west of England. ... Wiltshire (abbreviated Wilts) is a large southern English county. ... Hampshire, sometimes historically Southamptonshire or Hamptonshire, (abbr. ...

Dorset is famous for its beautiful coastline, the Jurassic Coast, which features landforms such as Lulworth Cove, the Isle of Portland, Chesil Beach and Durdle Door, as well as the holiday resorts of Poole, Bournemouth, Weymouth, Swanage, West Bay and Lyme Regis. Dorset is the setting of the novels of Thomas Hardy, who was born near the county town of Dorchester. The county has a long history of human settlement and some notable archaeology, including the hill forts of Maiden Castle and Hod Hill. Lyme Bay. ... Lulworth Cove Lulworth Cove is a cove near the village of West Lulworth, on the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site in Dorset, south England. ... Chesil Beach from the hill above Fortuneswell, Portland Harbour is on the right. ... Chesil Beach from Fortuneswell Chesil Beach (sometimes called Chesil Bank) is a 18 mile (29km) long, 200 metre wide and 18 metre high shingle tombolo in Dorset, southern England. ... Durdle Door Durdle Door (sometimes spelt Durdle Dor) is a natural limestone arch on the Jurassic Coast near West Lulworth in Dorset, England. ... Poole is a coastal town, port and tourist destination, situated on the shores of the English Channel, in the ceremonial county of Dorset in southern England. ... Bournemouth is a large resort town on the south coast of England. ... Weymouth is a town in Dorset, England, situated on a sheltered bay at the mouth of the River Wey on the English Channel coast. ... Swanage station, the terminus of the Swanage heritage railway. ... Jurrassic coast is really very boring. ... Location within the British Isles The Cobb, with boats grounded in the harbour at low tide. ... Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy, OM (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist, short story writer, and poet of the naturalist movement, who delineated characters struggling against their passions and circumstances. ... A hill fort is a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for military advantage. ... Maiden Castle from the north Maiden Castle is a hill fort, mostly dating from the Iron Age, situated 2 miles south of Dorchester, in Dorset, England. ... Hod Hill (sometimes Hodd Hill) is one of the largest hill forts in Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale five miles north east of Blandford Forum. ...

History

Main article: History of Dorset

The earliest recorded use of the name was in AD 940 as Dorseteschire, meaning the dwellers (saete) of 'Dornuuarana' (Dorchester), the place of fisticuffs (Welsh: 'Dwrn', 'fist'; and 'gwarae', 'play')^[1]. Dorset is dotted with Celtic hill forts, like Maiden Castle Dorset is a rural county in south west England whose archaeology documents much of the history of southern England. ... Welsh redirects here, and this article describes the Welsh language. ...

The first known settlement of Dorset was by Mesolithic hunters, from around 8000 BC. Their populations were small and concentrated along the coast in the Isle of Purbeck, Weymouth and Chesil Beach and along the Stour valley. These populations used tools and fire to clear these areas of some of the native Oak forest. Dorset's high chalk hills have provided a location for defensive settlements for millennia, with neolithic and bronze age burial mounds on almost every chalk hill in the county, and a number of iron age hill forts, the most famous being Maiden Castle. The chalk downs would have been deforested in these times, making way for farmland. The Mesolithic (Greek mesos=middle and lithos=stone or the Middle Stone Age) was a period in the development of human technology between the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods of the Stone Age. ... BC may stand for: Before Christ (see Anno Domini) : an abbreviation used to refer to a year before the beginning of the year count that starts with the supposed year of the birth of Jesus. ... Corfe Castle The Isle of Purbeck, not a true island but a peninsula, is in the county of Dorset, England. ... Weymouth Promenade in 1993 Weymouth is a coastal town in Dorset, England. ... Chesil Beach from Fortuneswell Chesil Beach (sometimes called Chesil Bank) is a 18 mile (29km) long, 200 metre wide and 18 metre high shingle tombolo in Dorset, southern England. ... Sturminster Newton water mill on a July evening. ... Species See List of Quercus species The term oak can be used as part of the common name of any of several hundred species of trees and shrubs in the genus Quercus, and some related genera, notably Cyclobalanopsis and Lithocarpus. ... Eucalyptus Forest at Swifts Creek in East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. ... An array of Neolithic artifacts, including bracelets, axe heads, chisels, and polishing tools Excavated dwellings at Skara Brae Scotland, Europes most complete Neolithic village. ... The Bronze Age is a period in a civilizations development when the most advanced metalworking has developed the techniques of smelting copper from natural outcroppings and alloys it to cast bronze. ... Iron Age Axe found on Gotland This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age, for the mythological Iron Age see Iron Age (mythology). ... A hill fort is a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for military advantage. ... Maiden Castle from the north Maiden Castle is a hill fort, mostly dating from the Iron Age, situated 2 miles south of Dorchester, in Dorset, England. ...

Dorset has many notable Roman artifacts, particularly around the Roman town Dorchester, where Maiden Castle was captured from the Celtic Durotriges by Vespasian in 54 AD, early in the Roman occupation. Roman roads radiated from Dorchester, following the tops of the chalk ridges to the many small Roman villages around the county. In the Roman era, settlements moved from the hill tops to the valleys, and the hilltops had been abandoned by the 4th century. A large defensive ditch, Bokerley Dyke, delayed the Saxon conquest of Dorset from the north east for up to two hundred years. The Domesday Book documents many Saxon settlements corresponding to modern towns and villages, mostly in the valleys. There have been few changes to the parishes since the Domesday Book. Over the next few centuries the settlers established the pattern of farmland which prevailed into the 19th century, as well as many monasteries, which were important landowners and centres of power. This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ... OS Grid Reference: SY690906 Lat/Lon: Population: 16,171 (2001 Census) Dwellings: 7,386 (2001 Census) Formal status: County town Administration County: Dorset Region: South West Nation: England Post Office and Telephone Post town: Dorchester Postcode: DT1 Dialling Code: 01305 Dorchester Dorchester is a market town in southern central Dorset... Celts redirects here. ... The Durotriges were one of the Celtic tribes living in the British Islands prior to the Roman invasion of Britain. ... Imperator Caesar Vespasianus Augustus (November 17, 9 – June 23, 79), known originally as Titus Flavius Vespasianus and usually referred to in English as Vespasian, was emperor of Rome from 69 to 79. ... Bokerley Dyke ia a Romano-British defensive ditch in north east Dorset, England, near the village Pentridge. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... A line drawing entitled Domesday Book from Andrew Williamss Historic Byways and Highways of Old England. ... Buddhist monastery near Tibet A monastery is the habitation of monks. ...

In the 12th century civil war, Dorset was fortified with the construction of the defensive castles at Corfe Castle, Powerstock, Wareham and Shaftesbury, and the strengthening of the monasteries such as at Abbotsbury. In the 17th century English Civil War, Dorset had a number of royalist strongholds, such as Sherborne Castle and Corfe Castle, which were ruined by Parliamentarian forces in the war. In the intervening years, the county was used by the monarchy and nobility for hunting and the county still has a number of Deer Parks. Throughout the late Medieval times, the remaining hilltop settlements shrank further and disappeared. From the Tudor to Georgian periods, farms specialised and the monastic estates were broke up, leading to an increase in population and settlement size. During the industrial revolution, Dorset remained largely rural and still retains its agricultural economy. The Tolpuddle Martyrs lived in Dorset, and the farming economy of Dorset was central in the formation of the trade union movement. A civil war is a war in which parties within the same culture, society or nationality fight against each other for the control of political power. ... Corfe Castle is a small village and ruined castle ( ) dating back to the 11th century, situated in a gap in the Purbeck Hills, five miles south of Wareham, in Dorset, England. ... Powerstock is a village in south west Dorset, England, situated in a steep valley on the edge of the Dorset Downs five miles north east of Bridport. ... Wareham is a historic market town in the Purbeck district of Dorset, England. ... Location within the British Isles For other uses, see Shaftesbury (disambiguation) Shaftesbury is a town in North Dorset, England, situated on the A30 road near the Wiltshire border 20 miles west of Salisbury. ... Buddhist monastery near Tibet A monastery is the habitation of monks. ... The Abbey barn Abbotsbury is a small village in south west Dorset, England, situated on The Fleet under a steep limestone hill, seven miles north west of Wetmouth and seven miles south west of Dorchester. ... The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations which took place between Parliamentarians (known as Roundheads) and Royalists (known as Cavaliers) from 1642 until 1651. ... Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, King of Ireland, and King of Scots from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. ... The front of the castle Sherborne Castle is a 16th-century Tudor mansion southeast of Sherborne in Dorset, England. ... Corfe Castle is a small village and ruined castle ( ) dating back to the 11th century, situated in a gap in the Purbeck Hills, five miles south of Wareham, in Dorset, England. ... The Roundheads was the nickname given to supporters of the Parliamentarian cause in the English Civil War. ... Places where monarchies maintain rule appear in blue. ... // Nobility is a traditional hereditary status (see hereditary titles) that exists today in many countries (mainly present or former monarchies). ... Deer Park is the name of some places in the United States of America: Deer Park, Illinois Deer Park, Maryland Deer Park, New York Deer Park, Texas Deer Park, Washington Deer Park is also a neighbourhood in Toronto, site of Upper Canada College. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ... Allegory of the Tudor dynasty (detail), attributed to Lucas de Heere, ca 1572: left to right, Philip II of Spain, Mary, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Elizabeth The Tudor period usually refers to the historical period between 1485 and 1558, especially in relation to the history of England. ... A Watt steam engine in Madrid. ... The Tolpuddle Martyrs were a group of 19th century British labourers led by John Barnwell who were arrested for and convicted of swearing a secret oath as members of the Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers. ... A Trade Union (Labour union) ... is a continuous association of wage-earners for the purpose of maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment. ...

Physical geography

Main article: Geology of Dorset

Most of Dorset's landscape falls into two categories, determined by the underlying geology. There are a number of large ridges of limestone downland, much of which have been cleared of the native forest and are mostly grassland and some arable agriculture. These limestone areas include a band of chalk which crosses the county from south-west to north-east incorporating Cranborne Chase, the Dorset Downs and Purbeck Hills. Between the areas of downland are large, wide clay vales (primarily Oxford Clay with some Weald Clay and London Clay) with wide flood plains. These vales are primarily used for dairy agriculture, dotted with small villages, farms and coppices. They include the Blackmore Vale (Stour valley) and Frome valley. Stylised simple Geology map of Dorset Dorset, England, rests on a variety of different rock types which give the county its interesting landscapes and habitats. ... World geologic provinces Oceanic crust  0-20 Ma  20-65 Ma  >65 Ma Geologic provinces  Shield  Platform  Orogen  Basin  Large igneous province  Extended crust Geology (from Greek γη- (ge-, the earth) and λογος (logos, word, reason))[1] is the science and study of the solid matter of a celestial body, its composition... Limey shale overlaid by limestone. ... A downland is an area of open chalk upland. ... Eucalyptus Forest at Swifts Creek in East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. ... Calcareous grassland (or alkaline grassland) is an ecosystem associated with thin basic soil, such as that on chalk and limestone downland. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Needles, part of the extensive Southern England Chalk Formation. ... Ashmore pond Cranborne Chase is a Chalk plateau in central southern England, straddling the counties Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire. ... The Dorset Downs shown within Dorset The Dorset Downs are an area of Chalk downland in the centre of the county Dorset in south west England. ... The Purbeck Hills form a headland where they meet the sea at Old Harry Rocks Corfe Castle guards a gap in the ridgeway At Lulworth Cove the sea has broken through the Limestone, eroded away the weak clays and exposed the chalk of the Purbeck hills The Purbeck Hills are... The Gay Head cliffs in Marthas Vineyard are made almost entirely of clay. ... In geography a vale is a wide river valley, usually with a particularly wide flood plain or flat valley bottom. ... Oxford Clay is a Jurassic marine sedimentary rock underlying much of South East England from as far West as Dorset and as far North as Yorkshire. ... Weald Clay is a Lower Cretaceous sedimentary rock underlying areas of South East England. ... The London Clay is a marine deposit which is well known for the fossils it contains. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Floodplain. ... Dairy farm near Oxford, New York A dairy is a facility for the extraction and processing of animal milk (mostly from cows, sometimes from buffalo, sheep or goats) and other farm animals, for human consumption. ... Coppicing is a traditional method of woodland management, by which young tree stems are cut down to a foot or less from ground level. ... Sturminster Newton watermill. ... Sturminster Newton water mill on a July evening. ... The River Frome is a river in Dorset in the south of England. ...

South-east Dorset, around Poole and Bournemouth, lies on very nonresistant Eocene clays (mainly London Clay and Gault Clay), sands and gravels. These thin soils support a heathland habitat which supports all seven native British reptile species. The River Frome estuary runs through this weak rock, and its many tributaries have carved out a wide estuary. At the mouth of the estuary sand spits have been deposited turning the estuary into Poole Harbour, the second largest natural harbour in the world (after Sydney Harbour, though Sydney's claim is disputed). The harbour is very shallow in places and contains a number of islands, notably Brownsea Island, famous for its Red Squirrel sanctuary and as the birthplace of the Scouting movement. The harbour, and the chalk and limestone hills of the Purbecks to the south, lie atop Britain's largest onshore oil field. The field, operated by BP from Wytch Farm, produces a high-quality oil and boasts the world's oldest continuously pumping well (Kimmeridge, since the early 1960s) and longest horizontal drill (5 miles, ending underneath Bournemouth pier). The pottery produced by Poole Pottery from the local clays is famous for its quality. The Eocene epoch (55. ... The London Clay is a marine deposit which is well known for the fossils it contains. ... The Gault Clay is a formation of stiff blue clay deposited in a calm, fairly deep water marine environment during the Lower Cretaceous Period (Upper and Middle Albian). ... Patterns in the sand Sand is a granular material made up of fine rock particles. ... Gravel being unloaded from a barge Gravel is rock that is of a certain grain size range. ... Heaths are anthropogenic habitats found primarily in northern and western Europe, where they have been created by thousands of years of human clearance of natural forest vegetation by grazing and burning on mainly infertile acidic soils. ... Orders Procolophonia (extinct) Testudines Araeoscelidia (extinct) Avicephala (extinct) Younginiformes (extinct) Sauropterygia Ichthyosauria (extinct) Placodontia (extinct) Nothosauria (extinct) Plesiosauria (extinct) Sphenodontia Squamata Prolacertiformes (extinct) Archosauria Crurotarsi Order Aetosauria (extinct) Order Phytosauria(extinct) Order Rauisuchia (extinct) Order Crocodilia Ornithodira Pterosauria (extinct) Marasuchus (extinct) Dinosauria Order Saurischia Order Ornithischia(extinct) Reptiles are tetrapods... The River Frome is a river in Dorset in the south of England. ... Estuaries and coastal waters are among the most productive ecosystems on Earth, providing ecological, economic, cultural, and aesthetic benefits. ... This article belongs in one or more categories. ... A spit is a deposition landform found off coasts. ... Poole Harbour is a harbour in Dorset, south England. ... A harbor (or harbour) or haven is a place where ships may shelter from the weather or are stored. ... Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge located on Port Jackson Port Jackson is the natural harbour of Sydney, Australia, also known as Sydney Harbour and is the largest natural harbour in the world. ... Brownsea Island boat jetty seen from the Poole to Brownsea ferry. ... Binomial name Sciurus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 The red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris), is a species of tree squirrels (genus Sciurus). ... Scouts and Guides from different countries on World Scout Moot 1996 Scouting, or the Scout movement, is a worldwide youth movement of multiple organizations for both boys and girls whose aim is to develop young people physically, spiritually and mentally so that youth may take a constructive place in society. ... Corfe Castle The Isle of Purbeck, not a true island but a peninsula, is in the county of Dorset, England. ... Drilling rig in a small oil field Near Sarnia, Ontario, 2001 An oil field is an area with an abundance of oil wells extracting petroleum (oil) from below ground. ... BP plc (LSE: BP, NYSE: BP, TYO: 5051 ), originally British Petroleum, is a British energy company with headquarters in London, one of six vertically integrated private sector oil, natural gas, and petrol (gasoline) supermajors in the world. ... Wytch Farm is an oil field and oil refinery in the Purbeck district of Dorset, England, the largest onshore oil field in Europe. ... Kimmeridge is a small villiage in the Purbeck district of Dorset, England, situated on the English Channel coast. ... A pier on Lake Mapourika in New Zealand illustrates the simplest form of pier Southend Pier in England is the longest pleasure pier in the world, at 1. ... [[Image:Conner- Pottery production is a process by which abody, clay mixed with other minerals, is shaped and allowed to dry. ... Poole Pottery is a fashionable pottery manufacturer based in Poole, England. ...

Most of Dorset's coastline was designated a World Heritage Site in 2001 because of its geological landforms. The coast documents the entire Mesozoic era from Triassic to Cretaceous, and has yielded many important fossils, including the first complete Ichthyosaur and fossilised Jurassic trees. Lyme Bay. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... A landform comprises a geomorphological unit. ... The Mesozoic Era is one of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon. ... The Triassic is a geologic period that extends from about 251 to 200 Ma (million years ago). ... The Cretaceous Period is one of the major divisions of the geologic timescale, reaching from the end of the Jurassic Period (i. ... An ammonite fossil Eocene fossil fish of the genus Knightia Petrified wood fossil formed through permineralization. ... Taxonomy See text Ichthyosaurs (Greek for fish lizard - ιχθυς meaning fish and σαυρος meaning lizard) were giant marine reptiles that resembled fish and dolphins. ...

Durdle Door natural arch

The coast also features examples of most notable coastal landforms, including a textbook example of cove (Lulworth Cove) and natural arch (Durdle Door). Jutting out into the English Channel is a limestone island, the Isle of Portland, connected to the mainland by Chesil Beach, a tombolo. One of the best ways to explore the Jurassic Coast is to follow the South West Coast Path National Trail that runs along it. Durdle Door. ... Durdle Door. ... Durdle Door Durdle Door (sometimes spelt Durdle Dor) is a natural limestone arch on the Jurassic Coast near West Lulworth in Dorset, England. ... Rainbow Bridge was formed by a meandering watercourse A natural arch or natural bridge is a formation (or landform) where a rock arch forms, with a natural passageway through underneath. ... Lulworth Cove, Dorset England This article is about the coastal feature, for details of the megalithic monument see Cove (standing stones) A cove is a coastal landform. ... Lulworth Cove Lulworth Cove is a cove near the village of West Lulworth, on the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site in Dorset, south England. ... Rainbow Bridge was formed by a meandering watercourse A natural arch or natural bridge is a formation (or landform) where a rock arch forms, with a natural passageway through underneath. ... Durdle Door Durdle Door (sometimes spelt Durdle Dor) is a natural limestone arch on the Jurassic Coast near West Lulworth in Dorset, England. ... Satellite view of the English Channel The English Channel (French: La Manche (IPA: ), the sleeve) is the part of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the island of Great Britain from northern France and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. ... Chesil Beach from the hill above Fortuneswell, Portland Harbour is on the right. ... Chesil Beach from Fortuneswell Chesil Beach (sometimes called Chesil Bank) is a 18 mile (29km) long, 200 metre wide and 18 metre high shingle tombolo in Dorset, southern England. ... Tombolo at Stockton Island, Ashland County (Wisconsin). ... The South West Coast Path passes along the cliffs (seen in the distance) at Ilfracombe, North Devon. ...

In the west of the county the chalk and clay of south-east England begins to give way to the marl and granite of neighbouring Devon. Until recently Pilsdon Pen at 909 ft (277 m), was thought to be the highest hill in Dorset, but recent surveys have shown nearby Lewesdon Hill to be higher, at 279 m (915 ft). It is also a Marilyn. Marls are calcium carbonate or lime rich muds or mudstones which contain variable amounts of clays and calcite or aragonite. ... Quarrying granite for the Mormon Temple, Utah Territory. ... Devon is a large county in South West England, bordered by Cornwall to the west, Dorset and Somerset to the east. ... Pilsdon Pen is a 277 metre (909 ft) hill in West Dorset, England. ... A foot (plural: feet; symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... The metre, or meter (U.S.), is a measure of length. ... Lewesdon Hill is about 4 km west of Beaminster in south west Dorset. ... A Marilyn is a hill with a relative height of at least 150 metres, regardless of absolute height or other merit. ...

The county has the highest proportion of 'Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty' (44% of the whole county), 'World Heritage Sites', and 'Sites of Special Scientific interest' in England.

Lulworth Cove, a fine example of a cove.

The county has warm summers and mild winters, being the third most southern county in the UK, but not westerly enough to be afflicted by the Atlantic storms of Cornwall and Devon. The average annual temperature of the county is 9.8 to 12 °C (49.6 to 53.6 °F), with the exception of the highest areas of the downs^[2]. In coastal areas around Dorset it is rare to have frosts, and it almost never snows. The county enjoys more sunshine than any other county, along with Hampshire, Kent and East and West Sussex, with all five counties receiving 1541–1885 hours^[3]. Average annual rainfall is 871–1060 mm, less than counties to the west but slightly more than those to the east^[4]. This slightly high rainfall means that Dorset has lush vegetation. Lulworth Cove, Dorset, England. ... Lulworth Cove, Dorset, England. ... Lulworth Cove Lulworth Cove is a cove near the village of West Lulworth, on the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site in Dorset, south England. ... Lulworth Cove, Dorset England This article is about the coastal feature, for details of the megalithic monument see Cove (standing stones) A cove is a coastal landform. ... Look up Atlantic Ocean in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Cornwall (Cornish: Kernow) is a county in South West England on the peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar. ... Devon is a large county in South West England, bordered by Cornwall to the west, Dorset and Somerset to the east. ... Fig. ... Hampshire, sometimes historically Southamptonshire or Hamptonshire, (abbr. ... Kent is a county in England, south-east of London. ... East Sussex is a county in South East England. ... West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex (with Brighton and Hove), Hampshire and Surrey. ...

Demographics

Poole Quay

Dorset has a population of 407,217, plus 165,370 in Bournemouth and 137,562 in Poole (total 710,149 — mid-year estimates for 2006). The following statistics exclude Poole and Bournemouth, which are no longer part of the administrative county. The quay at Poole in Dorset, England. ... The quay at Poole in Dorset, England. ... Bournemouth is a large resort town on the south coast of England. ... Poole is a coastal town, port and tourist destination, situated on the shores of the English Channel, in the ceremonial county of Dorset in southern England. ...

91.3% of Dorset's population were born in England and 95.2% were born within the United Kingdom. 98.8% are indigenous, an extreme example of the disproportionately small ethnic minority population in rural areas. Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ... This article is about the concept of a minority. ...

78% of the population are Christian, 13.7% are not religious. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Christianity. ...

Dorset has the second highest proportion of elderly people of any county in Britain, second only to East Sussex, with 25.9% of the population over 65 and 13.9% of the 16–74 age range retired. The county has the lowest birth rate of the 34 English counties, at 9.6 births per 1000. It has the third highest mortality rate, behind East Sussex and Devon. In 1996 deaths exceeded births by 1,056, giving a natural population decline of 2.7 per 1000, however, in 1997 there were 7,200 migrants moving to Dorset and the Poole-Bournemouth conurbation, giving Dorset the second highest net population-growth, behind Cambridgeshire, at 17.3%^[5][6]. East Sussex is a county in South East England. ... Devon is a large county in South West England, bordered by Cornwall to the west, Dorset and Somerset to the east. ... Shown within Dorset: the towns of Poole (yellow), Bournemouth (blue) and Christchurch (red) form the main centres of the conurbation, which also spreads into east Dorset to the north and the New Forest district of Hampshire to the east. ... Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs) is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west. ...

Politics

Dorset County Council is based at County Hall in Dorchester. Following the local council elections in May 2005, 24 Conservative, 16 Liberal Democrat, four Labour and one independent councillor sit on the county council. All Labour councillors were elected in the built up area of Weymouth and Portland, with rural areas returning Conservatives and Liberal Democrat councillors. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative & Unionist Party) is currently the second largest political party in the United Kingdom in terms of sitting Members of Parliament (MPs), and the largest in terms of public membership. ... The Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems, are a liberal political party based in the United Kingdom. ... The Labour Party has been, since its founding in the early 20th century, the principal political party of the left in the United Kingdom. ... Weymouth and Portland is a local government district and borough in Dorset, England. ...

This pattern is repeated at the national level. South Dorset is represented in Parliament by Labour MP Jim Knight, though this constituency was Labour's smallest majority and was one of the most fiercely contested seats in the General Election of 2005. In the event, the seat went against the national trend and Mr Knight's majority increased slightly on a swing from the Conservatives. In all other Dorset constituencies, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats are the most successful parties: Mid-Dorset and North Poole is represented by the Liberal Democrats, and West Dorset, Christchurch and North Dorset by the Conservatives. South Dorset is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... James Knight known as Jim Knight (born 6 March 1965, Bexley) is a British politician for the Labour Party who has been a Member of Parliament since 2001. ... Mid Dorset and North Poole is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... West Dorset is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which covers the same geographical area as the West Dorset district. ... Christchurch is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... North Dorset is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ...

The built up area of Poole and Bournemouth is divided into three constituencies, Bournemouth East, Bournemouth West and Poole, all of which are currently represented by Conservative MPs. Bournemouth East is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... Bournemouth West is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... Poole is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ...

Economy and industry

Abbotsbury Great Barn

In 2003 the gross value added (GVA) for the county was £4,673 million, with an additional £4,705 million for Poole and Bournemouth.^[7] 4% of GVA was produced by primary industry, 26% from secondary industry and 70% from tertiary industry. The average GVA for the 12 statistics regions of South West England was £6,257 million. Using 2004 population estimates, the GVA per person was £6,671 for Dorset, £15,683 for Poole and Bournemouth, £15,235 for the South West and £16,100 for the UK. The Great Barn at Abbotsbury in Dorset. ... The Great Barn at Abbotsbury in Dorset. ... The Gross value added is GDP - taxes on products + subsidies on products = GVA GVA + taxes on products - subsidies on products = GDP See also Measures of national income and output External links GVA - Gross Value Added ... The primary sector of industry generally involves the conversion of natural resources into primary products. ... The secondary sector of industry is the manufacturing sector of industry. ... The tertiary sector of industry, also called the service sector or the service industry, is one of the three main industrial categories of a developed economy, the others being the secondary industry (manufacturing and primary goods production such as agriculture), and primary industry (extraction such as mining and fishing). ...

The principal industry in Dorset was once agriculture. It has not, however, been the largest employer for many decades as mechanisation has substantially reduced the number of workers required. Agriculture has become less profitable and the industry has declined further. Between 1995 and 2003 GVA for primary industry (largely agriculture with some fishing and quarrying) declined from £229 to 188 million—7.1% to 4.0% of the county's GVA. In 2002, 1,903 km² of the county was in agricultural use, down from 1,986 km² in 1989, although the figure has fluctuated somewhat. Cattle, the principal animal stock in the county, fell from 240,413 to 178,328 in the same period, the dairy herds falling from 102,589 to 73,476. Sheep and pig farming has declined in a similar fashion. Mechanization refers to the use of powered machinery to help a human operator in some task. ... Binomial name Bos taurus Linnaeus, 1758 Cattle (often called cows in vernacular and contemporary usage, or kye as the Scots plural of cou) are domesticated ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. ... Dairy farm near Oxford, New York A dairy is a facility for the extraction and processing of animal milk (mostly from cows, sometimes from buffalo, sheep or goats) and other farm animals, for human consumption. ... Species See text. ... Species Sus barbatus Sus bucculentus Sus cebifrons Sus celebensis Sus domesticus(Sus scrofa domesticus) Sus heureni Sus philippensis Sus salvanius Sus scrofa Sus timoriensis Sus verrucosus Pigs, also called hogs, swine, boars (male) or sows (female), are ungulates native to Eurasia collectively grouped under the genus Sus within the Suidae...

One of Dorset's famous products is the Dorset Knob, a hard biscuit. It can be used as an accompaniment to cheese, especially the local Dorset cheese, Blue Vinney. Cheese is a solid food made from the milk of cows, goats, sheep, and other mammals. ... Dorset blue vinney is a traditional blue cheese made in Dorset, England, from skimmed cows milk. ...

Tourism has grown as an industry in Dorset since the early 19th century. 4.2 million British tourists and 260,000 foreign tourists visited the county in 2002, spending a combined total of £768 million. Foreign tourism declined in 1999 (310,000, down from 410,000 in 1998), and again in 2002 (down from 320,000), the latter decline being blamed on the effects of the global economy and security. Tourists at Oahu island, Hawaii Tourism is the act of travel for predominantly recreational or leisure purposes, and also refers to the provision of services in support of this act. ... ISO 4217 Code GBP User(s) United Kingdom Inflation 2. ...

Dorset has little manufacturing industry, at 14.6% of employment (compared to 18.8% for the UK), and is ranked 30th out the 34 English counties. The gross domestic product for the county is 84% that of the national average. IMF 2005 figures of total GDP of nominal compared to PPP. Absolute, not adjusted for population. ...

Dorset will host the only Olympic event at the 2012 Summer Olympics held outside London – sailing – at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy in Portland Harbour. The seas around Weymouth and Portland rank amongst the best in Northern Europe for sailing. The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXX Olympiad, will be held in London, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012. ... Sailing at sunset Wooden sailing boat Sailing is the skillful art of controlling the motion of a sailing ship or sailboat, across a body of water. ... The Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy is a centre for the sport of sailing on the south coast of England. ... Two RIBs at Castletown, Portland Harbour Portland Harbour is located beside the Isle of Portland, off Dorset, on the south coast of England. ...

Dorset people

Cerne Abbas Manor House

Dorset is famed in literature for being the native county of author and poet Thomas Hardy. Many of the places he describes in his novels in the fictional Wessex are in Dorset. The National Trust owns Thomas Hardy's Cottage, in woodland east of Dorchester, and Max Gate, his house in Dorchester. Stalbridge was home of Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Poet William Barnes, authors Theodore Francis Powys, John le Carré, P.D. James and satirical novelist Thomas Love Peacock are also locals. John Cowper Powys set a number of his most famous novels in Dorset and Somerset. The author John Fowles lived in Lyme Regis before he died in late 2005. Robert Louis Stevenson wrote The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde while living in Bournemouth. Cerne Abbas manor house, Dorset. ... Cerne Abbas manor house, Dorset. ... Old book bindings at the Merton College library. ... An author is the person who creates a written work, such as a book, story, article or the like. ... A poet is someone who writes poetry. ... Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy, OM (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist, short story writer, and poet of the naturalist movement, who delineated characters struggling against their passions and circumstances. ... The English author Thomas Hardy set all of his major novels in the south and southwest of England. ... The standard of the National Trust The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as The National Trust, is a British preservation organization. ... Max Gate is the former home of Thomas Hardy and is located in Dorchester, Dorset, England. ... Stalbridge is a village situated on the A357 in the Blackmore Vale area of North Dorset, near the border with Somerset in South England. ... Douglas Noël Adams (11 March 1952 – 11 May 2001) was a British author, comic radio dramatist, and amateur musician. ... The cover of the first novel in the Hitchhikers series, from a late 1990s printing. ... William Barnes (1801 - 1886) was an English writer, poet, minister, and philologist. ... Theodore Francis Powys (1875-1953) was a British writer, a younger brother of John Cowper Powys. ... John le Carré is the pseudonym of David John Moore Cornwell (born October 19, 1931 in Poole, Dorset, England), an English writer of espionage novels. ... Phyllis Dorothy James, Baroness James of Holland Park (born 3 August 1920 in Oxford) is a British writer of crime fiction and member of the House of Lords. ... 1867 edition of the satirical magazine Punch, a British satirical magazine, ground-breaking on popular literature satire. ... Thomas Love Peacock (October 18, 1785 - January 23, 1866) was an English satirist and author. ... John Cowper Powys (October 8, 1872 - June 17, 1963) was a British (English-Welsh) writer, lecturer, and philosopher. ... Somerset is a county in the south-west of England. ... John Robert Fowles John Robert Fowles (March 31, 1926 – November 5, 2005) was an English novelist and essayist. ... Location within the British Isles The Cobb, with boats grounded in the harbour at low tide. ... Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis (Balfour) Stevenson (November 13, 1850 – December 3, 1894), was a Scottish novelist, poet, and travel writer, and a leading representative of Neo-romanticism in English literature. ... Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde[1] is a novella written by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson and first published in 1886. ... Bournemouth is a large resort town on the south coast of England. ...

Dorset is also the birthplace of artist Sir James Thornhill, musicians P.J. Harvey and Robert Fripp, photographer Jane Bown, paleontologist Mary Anning and archbishops John Morton and William Wake. Explorer Sir Walter Raleigh lived in Dorset for a time. Scientist and philosopher Robert Boyle lived in Stalbridge Manor for a time. Dorset is a popular home for celebrities. Those who have moved to or own second homes in Dorset include Madonna and Guy Ritchie, actor Martin Clunes, singer-songwriter Billy Bragg, Jonathan Ross, and footballer Jamie Redknapp^[8]. Many of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's television programmes are filmed at his home, just outside of Bridport. Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web lived in Colehill near Wimborne. Look up artist in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Sir James Thornhill (25 July 1675 or 1676 - May 4, 1734) was an English painter of historical subjects, in the Italian baroque tradition. ... Polly Jean Harvey, born October 9, 1969 in Weymouth, Dorset is a British singer and songwriter. ... Robert Fripp (born May 16, 1946 in Wimborne Minster, Dorset, England) is a guitarist and a composer, perhaps best known for his founding role in the band King Crimson. ... Photography is the process of making pictures by means of the action of capturing light on a film. ... Jane Bown (born 1928) is a British photographer who has worked for The Observer newspaper in the United Kingdom since 1949. ... A paleontologist carefully chips rock from a column of dinosaur vertebrae. ... Mary Anning. ... In Christianity, an archbishop is an elevated bishop. ... This article is about the 15th century English Bishop, for other uses see John Morton (disambiguation). ... William Wake (1657-1737), English archbishop, was born in Blandford Forum, Dorset, on January 26 1657, and educated at Christ Church, Oxford. ... This list of explorers is sorted by surname. ... Portrait of Walter Raleigh, near age 32, by Nicholas Hilliard, c. ... The physicist Albert Einstein is probably the most famous scientist of our time. ... A philosopher is a person who thinks deeply regarding people, society, the world, and/or the universe. ... Robert Boyle Robert Boyle (January 25, 1627 – December 30, 1691) was an Irish natural philosopher, chemist, physicist, inventor and early gentleman scientist, noted for his work in physics and chemistry. ... Madonna Louise Ciccone (born August 16, 1958), better known worldwide as simply Madonna, is an iconic American Grammy award winning pop singer, songwriter, musician, record and film producer, dancer, actress, author and a fashion icon. ... Guy Ritchie 2001 Guy Ritchie (born September 10, 1968) is an English film director. ... Martin Clunes as Doc Martin Martin Clunes (born, Alexander Martin Clunes, 28 November 1961) is an English actor. ... Stephen William Bragg (born December 20, 1957), known as Billy Bragg, is a British musician known for his blend of folk, punk-rock, and protest music, and his poetic lyrics dealing with political as well as romantic themes. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Jamie Frank Redknapp (born June 25, 1973 in Barton-on-Sea, Hampshire) was a well-known English footballer of the 1990s who played as a midfielder in a promising career that was also dogged by injury. ... Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (born January 14, 1965) is a British celebrity chef and TV presenter, noted for his mildly eccentric antics and back-to-nature philosophy. ... See also Bridport, Tasmania. ... Sir Tim Berners-Lee Sir Tim (Timothy John) Berners-Lee, KBE (TimBL or TBL) (b. ... WWWs historical logo designed by Robert Cailliau The World Wide Web (WWW or simply the Web) is a system of interlinked, hypertext documents that runs over the Internet. ... Colehill is a suburb of Wimborne Minster in Dorset, England. ... Famous ex-residents Pope Joan Tim Berners Lee External links Census data Wimborne Minster Wimborne. ...

Settlements and communications

Gold Hill, Shaftesbury

Fortuneswell and Chesil Beach

Weymouth Promenade

See also: List of places in Dorset. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Chesil Beach (left), Fortuneswell (foreground), Portland Harbour and Weymouth (background) from the Isle of Portland, Dorset. ... Chesil Beach (left), Fortuneswell (foreground), Portland Harbour and Weymouth (background) from the Isle of Portland, Dorset. ... Chesil Beach from Fortuneswell Chesil Beach (sometimes called Chesil Bank) is a 18 mile (29km) long, 200 metre wide and 18 metre high shingle tombolo in Dorset, southern England. ... Weymouth Promenade, 1993. ... Weymouth Promenade, 1993. ... This is a list of settlements in Dorset, England. ...

Dorset is largely rural with many small villages, few large towns, and no cities. The largest conurbation is the South East Dorset conurbation which consists of the seaside resort of Bournemouth, the historic port of Poole and the town of Christchurch plus many villages. Bournemouth was created in the Victorian era when sea bathing became popular. As an example of how affluent the area has become, Sandbanks in Poole was worthless land unwanted by farmers in the 19th century, but is said to be amongst the highest land values by area in the world ^[9]. Bournemouth and Christchurch were added to the county from Hampshire in the county boundary changes of 1974. A conurbation is an urban area comprising a number of cities, towns and villages which, through population growth and expansion, have physically merged to form one continuous built up area. ... Shown within Dorset: the towns of Poole (yellow), Bournemouth (blue) and Christchurch (red) form the main centres of the conurbation, which also spreads into east Dorset to the north and the New Forest district of Hampshire to the east. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Bournemouth is a large resort town on the south coast of England. ... Poole is a coastal town, port and tourist destination, situated on the shores of the English Channel, in the ceremonial county of Dorset in southern England. ... Christchurch is a town in Dorset, England on the English Channel coast. ... Queen Victoria (shown here on the morning of her Ascension to the Throne, 20 June 1837) gave her name to the historic era The Victorian Era of Great Britain marked the height of the British industrial revolution and the apex of the British Empire. ... Sandbanks Ferry Sandbanks is a small spit jutting out over the mouth of Poole Harbour near Bournemouth in the south of England. ... Hampshire, sometimes historically Southamptonshire or Hamptonshire, (abbr. ...

The other two major settlements in the county are Dorchester, the county town, and Weymouth, one of the first tourist towns, frequented by George III, and still very popular today. Weymouth Promenade in 1993 Weymouth is a coastal town in Dorset, England. ... Tourists at Oahu island, Hawaii Tourism is the act of travel for predominantly recreational or leisure purposes, and also refers to the provision of services in support of this act. ... George III (George William Frederick) (4 June 1738–29 January 1820) was King of Great Britain, and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until 1 January 1801, and thereafter King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death. ...

Blandford Forum, Sherborne, Gillingham, Shaftesbury and Sturminster Newton are historical market towns which serve the farms and villages of the Blackmore Vale (Hardy's Vale of the Little Dairies). Blandford is home to the Badger brewery of Hall and Woodhouse. Bridport, Lyme Regis, Wareham and Wimborne Minster are also market towns. Lyme Regis and Swanage are small coastal towns popular with tourists. Map sources for Blandford Forum at grid reference ST881064 The town hall Blandford Forum, or Blandford is a town on the River Stour in Dorset, England. ... See also: Sherborne, Gloucestershire Sherborne is an affluent market town in north west Dorset, England, situated on the River Yeo and A30 road, on the edge of the Blackmore Vale six miles east of Yeovil. ... Gillingham is a town in the Blackmore Vale area of Dorset, England. ... Location within the British Isles For other uses, see Shaftesbury (disambiguation) Shaftesbury is a town in North Dorset, England, situated on the A30 road near the Wiltshire border 20 miles west of Salisbury. ... The water mill on the River Stour, seen from the town bridge. ... The market town is a medieval phenomenon. ... Hall & Woodhouse are the owners of Badger Brewery, a UK brewery. ... See also Bridport, Tasmania. ... Location within the British Isles The Cobb, with boats grounded in the harbour at low tide. ... Wareham is a historic market town in the Purbeck district of Dorset, England. ... The Minster Wimborne Minster is a market town in the East Dorset district of Dorset in South West England and the name of the church in that town. ... Swanage station, the terminus of the Swanage heritage railway. ...

Currently in construction on the western edge of Dorchester is the experimental new town of Poundbury, commissioned and co-designed by Prince Charles. The suburb is designed to integrate residential and retail buildings and counter the growth of dormitory towns and car-oriented development. A new town, planned community or planned city is a city, town, or community that was designed from scratch, and grew up more or less following the plan. ... View of Poundbury, Dorset. ... The Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (Charles Philip Arthur George Mountbatten-Windsor; born Windsor, 14 November 1948), is the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. ...

Dorset is connected to London by two main railway lines. The West of England Main Line runs through the north of the county at Gillingham and Sherborne. The South Western Main Line runs through the south at Bournemouth, Poole, Dorchester and the terminus at Weymouth. Additionally, the Wessex Main Line runs from Weymouth to Bristol. Dorset is one of only four non-urban counties in England to not have a single motorway, along with Cornwall, Norfolk and Suffolk. The A303, A31 and A35 trunk roads run through the county. The only passenger airport in the county is Bournemouth International Airport, and there are two passenger sea ports, at Poole and Weymouth. London (pronounced ) is the capital city of the United Kingdom and the largest city of England (strangely, England has no constitutional existence within the United Kingdom, and therefore cannot be said to have a capital). ... The West of England Main Line is the British railway line from London Waterloo to Exeter. ... The South Western Main Line is the railway line from London Waterloo to Weymouth on the Dorset coast. ... The Wessex Main Line is the railway line from Bristol Temple Meads to Southampton. ... Bristol (IPA: ) is a city, unitary authority and ceremonial county in South West England, 115 miles (185 km) west of London and between the cities of Bath, Gloucester and Newport and the borough of Swindon. ... The A303 is a trunk road in England. ... The A31 is a major trunk road in England running south west from Guildford in Surrey along the Hogs Back. ... The A35 is a trunk road in England. ... A63(T) trunk road A trunk road, trunk highway, or strategic road is a major road—usually connecting one or more cities, ports, airports, etc. ... Bournemouth Airport (IATA code BOH) is an aviation facility about 8 km north east of Bournemouth, England. ... Categories: Stub | Commercial item transport and distribution | Transportation ...

See also

• List of places of interest and tourist attractions in Dorset
• List of Dorset beaches
• List of Parliamentary constituencies in Dorset
• List of Wikipedia images of Dorset
• West Country dialects
• UK topics

This is a list of settlements in Dorset, England. ... There are many beaches in Dorset, with most of them making up the UNESCO World Heritage Site, The Jurassic Coast. ... The ceremonial county of Dorset, (which includes the unitary authorities of Bournemouth and Poole) is divided into 8 Parliamentary constituencies - 3 Borough constituencies and 5 County constituencies. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... This is a list of topics related to the United Kingdom. ...

References

1. ^ Mapping the Dornsaete (Dorset) Domesday, Historical Maps of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales – verified 2005-04-22
2. ^ Met Office, 2000. Annual average temperature for the United Kingdom.
3. ^ Met Office, 2000. Annual average sunshine for the United Kingdom.
4. ^ Met Office, 2000. Annual average rainfall for the United Kingdom.
5. ^ Office for National Statistics, 2001 census data – verified 2005-04-22
6. ^ Dorset County Council Facts & Figures – verified 2005-04-22
7. ^ Office for National Statistics, 2003. Regional Gross Value Added (pp.240-253)
8. ^ BBC Dorset, n.d. "Dorset Celebrities."
9. ^ "Island on the market for £2.5 million", BBC News April 13, 2005

2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 22 is the 112th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (113th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 22 is the 112th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (113th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 22 is the 112th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (113th in leap years). ... The current BBC News logo BBC News and Current Affairs is a major arm of the BBC responsible for the corporations newsgathering and production of news programmes on BBC television, radio and online. ... Her Majestys Stationery Office (usually abbreviated as HMSO) is part of the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom. ... A & C Black is a British book publishing company. ... The Encyclopædia Britannica is a general encyclopedia published by Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. ... David & Charles (also David and Charles) is a publisher specialising in illustrated non-fiction books. ... Faber and Faber is a celebrated publishing house in the UK, notable in particular for publishing the poetry of T. S. Eliot. ... Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint of Hodder Headline. ... The University of Southampton is a British university, with a reputation for quality research. ...

External links

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• Full list of Dorset links at dmoz.org
• Dorset travel guide from Wikitravel
• The Dorset Page — An introduction to Dorset
• Dorset County Council
• Info, Photos, Places
• Dorset County Museum
• The Dorset Evening Echo
• The Dorset Coast Forum
• Dorset Wildlife Trust
• Dorset Visitor Attractions

Photographs

• By wikipedian Steinsky
• Images of Dorset.org.uk
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