50°43N 2°26W, pop (2000e) 15 800. County town of Dorset, S England, UK; on the R Frome, 12 km/7 mi N of Weymouth; the Roman ramparts became known as The Walks in the 18th-c; mint established here by King Athelstan; Judge Jeffreys' Bloody Assizes held here (1685); model for Casterbridge in Hardy's novels; railway; brewing; Dorset county museum, Dorset military museum, Maiden Castle prehistoric fort (3 km/1¾ mi S); Thomas Hardy festival (Aug).
| Dorchester | ||||
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| OS Grid Reference: | SY690906 | |||
| Lat/Lon: | 50°42′N 2°26′W | |||
| Population: | 16,171 (2001 Census) | |||
| Dwellings: | 7,386 (2001 Census) | |||
| Formal status: | County town | |||
| Administration | ||||
| District: | West Dorset | |||
| County: | Dorset | |||
| Region: | South West | |||
| Nation: | England | |||
| Post Office and Telephone | ||||
| Post town: | Dorchester | |||
| Postcode: | DT1 | |||
| Dialling Code: | 01305 | |||
Dorchester is a market town in southern central Dorset, England, situated on the River Frome and at the junction of the A35 and A37 20 miles west of Poole and eight miles north of Weymouth.
Railways
The town has two railway stations, which connect the town to London, Bournemouth &
Roads
In the late 1980s a bypass was constructed by Mowlem to the south and west of the town, removing through traffic using the A35 and A37 from the town itself.
Poundbury is the well-known western extension of the town, constructed on Duchy of Cornwall land (i.e.
On December 15, 2004, Dorchester was granted Fairtrade Town status.
Dorchester Town F.C., a Conference South football (soccer) team plays in the town and is based at the Avenue Stadium on Weymouth Avenue.
History
Prehistory and Roman
Two miles southwest of the town centre, sat on a steep chalk hill, are the remains of a large Iron Age hill fort Maiden Castle, which was one of the most powerful settlements in pre-Roman Britain. The town still has some Roman features, including part of the town walls and the foundations of a Roman town house, which are freely accessible near County Hall. and a man that coveted a retreat in this world might as agreeably spend his time, and as well in Dorchester, as in any town I know in England". -- Daniel Defoe, in Tour through the whole island of Great Britain (1724 - 1726)
In 1613 and 1725 two great fires destroyed large parts of the town, but some of the mediaeval buildings, including Judge Jeffreys' lodgings, and the Tudor almshouse can still be found in the town centre, amongst the replacement Georgian buildings, many of which are built in Portland limestone.
In the 17th century the town was at the centre of the Puritan emigration to America, and local Rector, John White, organised the settlement of Dorchester, Massachusetts.
19th century
Dorchester remained a compact town within the boundaries of the old town walls until the latter part of the 19th century, due to the ownership of all land immediately adjacent to the west, south and east by the Duchy of Cornwall. Dorchester Railway, and the station east of Weymouth Avenue, in 1847 The Great Western Railway, and the station to the south of Damer's Road, in 1857 The Water Works, to the north of Bridport Road, in 1854 A new cemetery, to the west of the new railway and east of Weymouth Avenue, in 1856 The Dorset County Constabulary police station in 1860, west of the London railway, east of Weymouth Avenue and north of Maumbury Rings.
Hardy and Barnes
Local author and poet Thomas Hardy based the fictional town of Casterbridge on Dorchester. Hardy's childhood home can be found to the east of the town, and his house in town, Max Gate, is owned by the National Trust and open to the public. A statue of Hardy stands beside the Top o' Town crossroads in the town.
On the hills to the south west of the town stands Hardy Monument, a memorial to the other local Thomas Hardy, Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy, who served with Horatio Nelson, which overlooks the town and provides views of Weymouth, the Isle of Portland and Chesil Beach.
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