You are here: Home > Travel to Wales and UK > 10 Details of Dorchester Dorset, UK

10 Details of Dorchester Dorset, UK

Dorchester is a popular welcoming UK tourist destination and attracts numerous visitors every year attracted to its historical sites, beautiful scenery and close proximity to the sea. Dorchester can be a historical market town in southern central Dorset, England, just a 2.5 hours drive or train ride from London. Town posseses an amazing and ancient past and now we we imagine you enjoy reading our 10 information about this delightful town.
1. Dorchester may be the county town of Dorset since 1305 and celebrated the 700th anniversary of its Royal Charter in 2005. Dorchester includes a population of 18,070 (2008 mid year estimate) and 8,650 dwellings. Poundbury is an experimental new town on the outskirts of Dorchester as well as the traditional style houses are built on land owned by Prince Charles.
2. Maiden Castle, just two miles south of Dorchester town centre, will be the largest Iron Age hill fort in great britan and, by some definitions, the biggest in Europe. Maiden Castle originally constructed around 600 BC is one of several ancient hill forts in your community, although some can be they canrrrt be clearly seen or happen to be destroyed with time.
3. Maumbury Rings may be the site of your giant Henge monument constructed no less than 4500 in years past, probably by the inhabitants of Maiden Castle. Later the Romans adapted exactly the same site creating an amphitheater capable of holding 10,000 people. Maumbury Rings remains used today as the Romans intended, with occasional outdoor performances and historical re-enactments.
4. Dorchester was founded from the Romans around 70D (when it absolutely was called Durnovaria). Evidence of Roman settlement and influence in your community can be seen in the Roman Town House at Colliton Park, Dorchester, one of the better preserved types of a Roman Town House in England. The Roman Town House in Dorchester was discovered, almost by accident, in 1937 during an archaeological dig and the earliest the main Town House dates from the first part of 4th Century.
5. In the early years Dorchester’s main industry was farming and through the 16th and 17th centuries it were built with a successful wool industry in the 1700s it not survived because of competition with northern towns. In the 18th century Dorchester became known for its brewing industry. Much of the city was destroyed by fire within the 17th and 18th centuries and most from the buildings visible today date from Georgian times.
6. Every town has its villain and Dorchester is famed for the ‘Hanging Judge’. In 1685 a rebellion started in South-western England led by the Duke of Monmouth. In 1685, Judge Jeffreys found Dorchester and the man sat in trial with the supporters from the Duke of Monmouth and their failed rebellion against King James II. The Bloody Assizes (court trial) were locked in the Oak Room (now a Tea Room) from the Antelope Hotel on the 5th day’s September 1685. Jeffreys didn’t rely on half measures and became known as the Hanging Judge because of the punishments he’d given to the supporters of the Duke.
7. The famous author and poet Thomas Hardy was created at Higher Bockhampton located three miles northeast of Dorchester about the 2nd June 1840. During Dorchester ‘Casterbridge’ you can retrace the path of the ‘Mellstock Quire’ characters from his novel ‘Under the Greenwood Tree’ and climb to ‘Rainbarrow’ as Eustacia Vye in ‘Return from the Native’. The Hardy Society has published tours and trails of the individual novels and poems with biographical detail.
8. The Crown Court in Dorchester was the setting for your 1834 trial from the “Tolpuddle Martyrs”a number of 6 brave men from your nearby village of Tolpuddle who protested against pay cuts by wealthy landowners. Their bravery marked a milestone in British trade unionism and workers rights. The farm workers who continued to get local heroes put together guilty and transported to Australia – after public protest these were pardoned after 2 years. A legal court room and cells still remain and therefore are preserved as they were during the time.
9. Dorchester’s top rated family friendly County Museum may be the perfect starting point with an exploration of the history of town and the neighborhood. The Dorset County Museum houses an incredible selection of fascinating galleries, coping with wide range of subjects including archaeology, art, and history and provides the largest Thomas Hardy memorabilia collection on the planet, the bulk of which was bequeathed to the Museum by his second wife Florence Hardy. For any small town Dorchester even offers a marvellous collection of specialist museums to delight and educate visitors of all ages. The Dinosaur Museum, Mummies Museum, Dorset County Museum, The Keep Military Museum, Terracotta Warriors Museum and Stuffed bear Museum are strongly suggested.
10. There is no longer a cattle market within the town, however, you can still sample the lively market day atmosphere every Wednesday. At Dorchester market you may enjoy sampling local farm produce in order to find stalls full of crafts, antiques and clothes. Around the first Saturday of each month a Farmer’s Marketplace is held at Prince Charles’ internationally renowned Poundbury.
The “Discover Dorchester Secrets” route is the perfect way to take in great views, benefit from the inviting ambiance from the town, and check out a host of notable attractions along the way.

Tags: , , , ,

Comments are closed.