Hooke, Dorset
Encyclopedia
Hooke is a small village in west
Dorset
, England
, 13 kilometers northwest of Dorchester. The village has a population
of 118 (Census 2001
). The village is situated in the valley
of the short River Hooke
, a tributary of the River Frome
, in the Dorset Downs
chalk hills. Rampisham Down
, the hill immediately north east of the village, is the site of a transmitter station operated by VT Communications
, broadcasting long-range radio
signals for clients including BBC World Service
. The outskirts of the village is home to Hooke Court
and its surrounding parklands.
West Dorset
West Dorset is a local government district and parliamentary constituency in Dorset, England. Its council is based in Dorchester. The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, and was a merger of the boroughs of Bridport, Dorchester and Lyme Regis, along with...
Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, 13 kilometers northwest of Dorchester. The village has a population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 118 (Census 2001
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
). The village is situated in the valley
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
of the short River Hooke
River Hooke
The River Hooke in Dorset, England, runs from its source at Toller Whelme through the villages of Hooke, Kingcombe, Toller Porcorum, and Toller Fratrum to join the Frome at Maiden Newton, a course of some 6 miles...
, a tributary of the River Frome
River Frome, Dorset
The River Frome is a river in Dorset in the south of England. At 30 miles long it is the major chalkstream in southwest England. It is navigable upstream from Poole Harbour as far as the town of Wareham.-Geography:...
, in the Dorset Downs
Dorset Downs
The Dorset Downs are an area of Chalk downland in the centre of the county Dorset in south west England. The downs are the most western part of a larger Chalk Formation which also includes Cranborne Chase, Salisbury Plain, Hampshire Downs, Chiltern Hills, North Downs and South Downs.The Dorset...
chalk hills. Rampisham Down
Rampisham Down
Rampisham Down is a steep chalk hill in the Dorset Downs, eight miles north west of Dorchester in west Dorset, England. The highest part of the hill is 221 metres . To the north east of the hill is the Frome valley and the village of Rampisham, to the south west is the Hooke valley and the...
, the hill immediately north east of the village, is the site of a transmitter station operated by VT Communications
VT Communications
VT Communications was a part of VT Group plc. VT Communications was essentially the company formed from the privatisation of the BBC World Service transmitter sites. It was initially named Merlin Communications, then, after acquisition by VT, VT Merlin Communications...
, broadcasting long-range radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
signals for clients including BBC World Service
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
. The outskirts of the village is home to Hooke Court
Hooke Court
Hooke Court is a residential study centre and a private school and nursery for 3-13 year olds located on the outskirts of the small village, Hooke in rural West Dorset, England, 11 miles from the World Heritage Jurassic Coastline. The Court stands in 14 acres of mature park and woodland. It was...
and its surrounding parklands.