Purbeck
Encyclopedia
Purbeck is a local government district
in Dorset
, England
. The district is named after the Isle of Purbeck
, a peninsula
that forms a large proportion of the district's area. However the district extends significantly further north and west than the traditional boundary of the Isle of Purbeck along the River Frome
. The district council is based in the town of Wareham
, which is itself north of the River Frome.
The district was formed under the Local Government Act 1972
on 1 April 1974, from the former municipal borough
of Wareham, Swanage
urban district
and Wareham and Purbeck Rural District.
Its name is recorded in 948 AD as Anglo-Saxon Purbicinga = "of the people of Purbic", where Purbic may be a former Celtic name, or may contain a supposed Anglo-Saxon word *pur = "male lamb
".
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
in 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...
. The district is named after the Isle of Purbeck
Isle of Purbeck
The Isle of Purbeck, not a true island but a peninsula, is in the county of Dorset, England. It is bordered by the English Channel to the south and east, where steep cliffs fall to the sea; and by the marshy lands of the River Frome and Poole Harbour to the north. Its western boundary is less well...
, a peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
that forms a large proportion of the district's area. However the district extends significantly further north and west than the traditional boundary of the Isle of Purbeck along 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:...
. The district council is based in the town of Wareham
Wareham, Dorset
Wareham is an historic market town and, under the name Wareham Town, a civil parish, in the English county of Dorset. The town is situated on the River Frome eight miles southwest of Poole.-Situation and geography:...
, which is itself north of the River Frome.
The district was formed under the Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
on 1 April 1974, from the former municipal borough
Municipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002...
of Wareham, Swanage
Swanage
Swanage is a coastal town and civil parish in the south east of Dorset, England. It is situated at the eastern end of the Isle of Purbeck, approximately 10 km south of Poole and 40 km east of Dorchester. The parish has a population of 10,124 . Nearby are Ballard Down and Old Harry Rocks,...
urban district
Urban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
and Wareham and Purbeck Rural District.
Its name is recorded in 948 AD as Anglo-Saxon Purbicinga = "of the people of Purbic", where Purbic may be a former Celtic name, or may contain a supposed Anglo-Saxon word *pur = "male lamb
Domestic sheep
Sheep are quadrupedal, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Although the name "sheep" applies to many species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries...
".
Settlements
- Settlements with a populationPopulationA 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...
over 2,500 are in bold.- AffpuddleAffpuddleAffpuddle is a small village and civil parish in the Purbeck district of Dorset in South West England, east of Dorchester. The local travel links are from the village to Moreton railway station and to Bournemouth International Airport. Part of the village street is the B3390, which divides the...
, ArneArne, DorsetArne is a large village and civil parish in the Purbeck district of Dorset, England; situated east of Wareham. The local travel links are located from the village to Holton Heath railway station and to Bournemouth International Airport. The main road through the village is Arne Road connecting... - Bere RegisBere RegisBere Regis is a village in the Purbeck district of Dorset, England, situated north-west of Wareham.The village has one shop, a post office and two pubs, The Royal Oak and The Drax Arms. The parish church is St. John the Baptist Church...
, BloxworthBloxworthBloxworth is a village and civil parish in the Purbeck district of Dorset, England, situated in Wareham Forest on the A35 road west of Poole. The village has a population of 187 . Bloxworth Heath is part of Wareham Forest.... - Chaldon HerringChaldon HerringChaldon Herring or East Chaldon is a village in the Purbeck district of the county of the English county of Dorset. It is situated two miles from the coast and eight miles south east of Dorchester...
, Church KnowleChurch KnowleChurch Knowle is a small village on the Isle of Purbeck, in the county of Dorset, in the south of England.Church Knowle is situated about one mile west of Corfe Castle, four miles south of Wareham and about six miles west of Swanage. The village has a population of 303 , 9.7% of dwellings are...
, Coombe KeynesCoombe KeynesCoombe Keynes is a hamlet and former parish in the Purbeck district of the English county of Dorset. It is situated some five miles west-south-west of Wareham. The parish has a population of 79 . There are 22 houses in the hamlet itself and 37 properties across the parish as a whole.Coombe Keynes...
, Corfe Castle - East LulworthEast LulworthEast Lulworth is a hamlet nine miles east of Dorchester, near Lulworth Cove, in the Purbeck district of Dorset, South West England. It consists of 17th century thatched cottages...
, East StokeEast Stoke, DorsetEast Stoke is a village in the Purbeck district of the English county of Dorset. It is situated some three miles west of Wareham. The village has a population of 439... - Harman's CrossHarman's CrossHarman's Cross is a small village on the Isle of Purbeck, in the county of Dorset in the south of England. It is situated on the A351 road between Swanage and Corfe Castle.The village is located in the civil parish of Worth Matravers...
- KingstonKingston, Purbeck, DorsetKingston is a small village on the Isle of Purbeck in the county of Dorset in southern England.-Location:Kingston is situated about two miles south of Corfe Castle and five miles west of Swanage. The village of Kingston is situated on a hill near Swyre Head, the highest point of the Purbeck Hills...
, KimmeridgeKimmeridgeKimmeridge is a small village in the Purbeck district of Dorset, England, situated on the English Channel coast. Kimmeridge is about south of Wareham and about west of Swanage and is on the Isle of Purbeck... - Langton MatraversLangton MatraversLangton Matravers is a small village on the Isle of Purbeck, in the county of Dorset in the south of England.Langton Matravers is part of the Purbeck local government district and is within the South Dorset constituency of the House of Commons and the South West England constituency of the European...
, Lytchett MatraversLytchett MatraversLytchett Matravers is a large village and civil parish in the District of Purbeck within Dorset, England. The village has a population of 3,309.-Location:...
, Lytchett MinsterLytchett MinsterLytchett Minster is a small village in the English county of Dorset. Lytchett Minster is on the A35 road, the main route between the towns of Poole and Dorchester... - MordenMorden, DorsetMorden is a village and civil parish in south Dorset, England, forming part of the Purbeck district.Morden is north west of Poole. The village has a population of 325 ....
, MoretonMoreton, DorsetMoreton is a village in Dorset, England, situated on the River Frome eight miles east of Dorchester. The village has a population of 270 . It has a number of long distance foot paths and cycle ways passing through it: the Purbeck cycle way, Route 2 , the Frome valley trail, the Jubilee trail, and... - RidgeRidge, DorsetRidge is a village in the English county of Dorset. It is situated on the south bank of the River Frome, about half a mile due south east of the town of Wareham.Ridge forms part of the civil parish of Arne, within the Purbeck local government district....
- SteepleSteeple, DorsetSteeple is a hamlet in the Purbeck district of the English county of Dorset. It is situated some eight miles west of Swanage. The village has a population of 94 ....
, StoboroughStoboroughStoborough is a village in the English county of Dorset. It is situated one mile to the south of the town of Wareham, and separated from it by the River Frome.Stoborough forms part of the civil parish of Arne, within the Purbeck local government district....
, Stoborough GreenStoborough GreenStoborough Green is a village in the English county of Dorset. It is situated to the south of the village of Stoborough and about 2 kilometres south of the town of Wareham....
, StudlandStudlandStudland is a small village on the Isle of Purbeck in the English county of Dorset. It is famous for its beaches and nature reserve. In 2001 Studland had a population of 480, the lowest in 50 years...
, SwanageSwanageSwanage is a coastal town and civil parish in the south east of Dorset, England. It is situated at the eastern end of the Isle of Purbeck, approximately 10 km south of Poole and 40 km east of Dorchester. The parish has a population of 10,124 . Nearby are Ballard Down and Old Harry Rocks,... - Turners PuddleTurners PuddleTurners Puddle is a hamlet in Dorset, England, situated on the River Piddle in the Purbeck district, seven miles north west of Wareham. The village has a population of 60 .-External links:*...
- WarehamWareham, DorsetWareham is an historic market town and, under the name Wareham Town, a civil parish, in the English county of Dorset. The town is situated on the River Frome eight miles southwest of Poole.-Situation and geography:...
, West LulworthWest LulworthWest Lulworth is a village in the Purbeck district of Dorset, England, situated on the English Channel coast beside Lulworth Cove. The village has a population of 766 , 9.3% of dwellings are second homes...
, Winfrith NewburghWinfrith NewburghWinfrith Newburgh is a village in the Purbeck district of the English county of Dorset. It is situated some eight miles west of Wareham and ten miles east of Dorchester. It was historically part of the Winfrith hundred...
, WoolWool, DorsetWool is a village in the Purbeck district of Dorset, England. The village has a population of 4,118 , though the population has fluctuated over the past 15 years, due to the proximity of military institutions, reaching a high of 4,300 in 1992. The village lies at a historic bridging point on the...
, WorgretWorgretWorgret is a village in the English county of Dorset. It is situated immediately to the west of the town of Wareham.Worgret forms part of the civil parish of Arne, within the Purbeck local government district.-External links:...
, Worth MatraversWorth MatraversWorth Matravers is a village and civil parish in the English county of Dorset. The village is situated on the cliffs west of Swanage. It comprises limestone cottages and farm houses and is built around a pond, which is a regular feature on postcards of the Isle of Purbeck.The civil parish stretches... - UptonUpton, DorsetUpton is a village in south east Dorset, England. It is the second largest village in Purbeck-Geography:The village is built around a road junction where the Blandford to Hamworthy road crosses the main Poole to Dorchester road. The Poole suburbs of Hamworthy and Turlin Moor adjoin the village to...
Lytchett Minster and UptonLytchett Minster and UptonLytchett Minster and Upton is a civil parish in the English county of Dorset. The parish comprises the village of Lytchett Minster and the nearby built up area of Upton, which is contiguous with the urban area of Poole....
- Affpuddle
Places of interest
- Ballard DownBallard DownBallard Down is an area of chalk downland in Dorset, southern England.The down forms a headland, Ballard Point, between Studland and Swanage bays in the English Channel, and once formed part of a continuous chalk ridge between what are now west Dorset and the Isle of Wight, part of the Southern...
, Blue PoolBlue PoolBlue Pool is a flooded, disused clay pit where Purbeck Ball Clay was once extracted. It is now a lake within the Furzebrook Estate, a park of heath woodland and gorse near Furzebrook on the Isle of Purbeck, in the county of Dorset, south England....
, Brownsea IslandBrownsea IslandBrownsea Island is the largest of the islands in Poole Harbour in the county of Dorset, England. The island is owned by the National Trust. Much of the island is open to the public and includes areas of woodland and heath with a wide variety of wildlife, together with cliff top views across Poole... - Chaldon Down, Chapman's Pool, Clouds HillClouds HillClouds Hill is an isolated cottage near Wareham in the county of Dorset in South West England. It is the former home of T. E. Lawrence and is now run as a museum by the National Trust.-History:...
, Corfe CastleCorfe CastleCorfe Castle is a village and civil parish in the English county of Dorset. It is the site of a ruined castle of the same name. The village and castle stand over a gap in the Purbeck Hills on the route between Wareham and Swanage. The village lies in the gap below the castle, and is some eight... - Dancing LedgeDancing LedgeDancing Ledge is part of the Jurassic Coast near Langton Matravers in the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset, England.-Geology:Dancing Ledge is a flat area of rock at the base of a small cliff . It is signposted on the South West Coast Path a few kilometres west of Swanage...
, Dunshay Manor, Durdle DoorDurdle DoorDurdle Door is a natural limestone arch on the Jurassic Coast near Lulworth in Dorset, England. It is privately owned by the Welds, a family who own in Dorset in the name of the Lulworth Estate. It is open to the public...
, Durlston Country ParkDurlston Country ParkDurlston Country Park is a 1.13 square kilometre country park and nature reserve stretching along the coast of the Isle of Purbeck near Swanage in Dorset, England... - Godlingstone Heath, Godlingstone Manor
- Hambury ToutHambury ToutHambury Tout is a large chalk hill by the coast near Lulworth, Dorset, England. Hambury Tout is the site of an ancient burial mound....
- Jurassic CoastJurassic CoastThe Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage Site on the English Channel coast of southern England. The site stretches from Orcombe Point near Exmouth in East Devon to Old Harry Rocks near Swanage in East Dorset, a distance of ....
(A World Heritage SiteWorld Heritage SiteA UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
) - Lulworth CastleLulworth CastleLulworth Castle, in East Lulworth, Dorset, situated south of Wool, is an early 17th century mock castle. The stone building has now been re-built as a museum....
, Lulworth CoveLulworth CoveLulworth Cove is a cove near the village of West Lulworth, on the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site in Dorset, southern England. The cove is one of the world's finest examples of such a landform, and is a tourist location with over 1 million visitors a year... - KimmeridgeKimmeridgeKimmeridge is a small village in the Purbeck district of Dorset, England, situated on the English Channel coast. Kimmeridge is about south of Wareham and about west of Swanage and is on the Isle of Purbeck...
- Nine Barrow DownNine Barrow DownNine Barrow Down is an elongated hill forming the northern ridge of the Purbeck Hills on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset, England. The chalk down is part of the extensive Southern England Chalk Formation. The eastern end of the ridge, which carries the highest point, is also sometimes known as...
- Old Harry RocksOld Harry RocksThe Old Harry Rocks are two chalk sea stacks located at Handfast Point, on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset, southern England.- Location :Old Harry Rocks lie directly east of Studland, about 4 kilometres northeast of Swanage, and about 10 kilometres south of the large towns of Poole and...
- Poole HarbourPoole HarbourPoole Harbour is a large natural harbour in Dorset, southern England, with the town of Poole on its shores. The harbour is a drowned valley formed at the end of the last ice age and is the estuary of several rivers, the largest being the Frome. The harbour has a long history of human settlement...
, Purbeck Heritage Coast - Smedmore Hill, South West Coast PathSouth West Coast PathThe South West Coast Path is Britain's longest waymarked long-distance footpath and a National Trail. It stretches for , running from Minehead in Somerset, along the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, to Poole Harbour in Dorset. Since it rises and falls with every river mouth, it is also one of the more...
, St Aldhelm's Head, Studland Bay, Swanage RailwaySwanage RailwayThe Swanage Railway is a long heritage railway in the Purbeck district of Dorset, England. The railway follows the route of the Purbeck branch line between Norden railway station, Corfe Castle railway station, Harman's Cross railway station, Herston Halt railway station and Swanage...
, Swyre HeadSwyre HeadSwyre Head is the highest point of the Purbeck Hills and the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset, on the south coast of England. The hill Swyre Head lies about two kilometres southwest of the village Kingston, about five kilometres south of Corfe Castle and eight kilometres west of Swanage.Although not very... - TynehamTynehamTyneham is a ghost village in south Dorset, England, near Lulworth on the Isle of Purbeck. It remains a civil parish.-Location:The village is situated northeast of Worbarrow Bay on the Jurassic Coast, about south of Wareham and about west of Swanage. It is part of the Lulworth Estate. Tyneham is...
- Worbarrow ToutWorbarrow ToutWorbarrow Tout is a promontory at the eastern end of Worbarrow Bay on Isle of Purbeck in Dorset on the south coast of England.- Location :Worbarrow Bay and Worbarrow Tout are located about six kilometres south of Wareham und about 16 kilometres west of Swanage. Worbarrow Bay lies between Kimmeridge...
, Wareham ForestWareham ForestWareham Forest is a large coniferous plantation beside the A35 road near Wareham, between Poole and Dorchester, in Dorset, England. The forest is managed by the Forestry Commission for conservation and recreation....
, WinspitWinspitWinspit is an old quarry on the cliffs near Worth Matravers in the Isle of Purbeck, Dorset, England that is no longer in use. More recently it has been used as a set for Doctor Who and Blake's 7....
, Wytch FarmWytch FarmWytch Farm is an oil field and processing facility in the Purbeck district of Dorset, England. It is the largest onshore oil field in western Europe. The facility, operated by BP, is hidden in a coniferous forest on Wytch Heath on the southern shore of Poole Harbour, two miles north of Corfe Castle...