Scratchy Bottom

Last updated
Scratchy Bottom Scratchy bottom dorset.jpg
Scratchy Bottom

Scratchy Bottom (or Scratchy's Bottom) is a clifftop valley between Durdle Door and Bat's Head in Dorset, England. [1] A dry valley in the chalk, it is surrounded by farmland at its sides and landward end, with cliffs at the seaward end.

The name is thought to refer to a rough hollow. [2] Scratchy Bottom has been noted for its unusual place name. The location came second after Shitterton, also in Dorset, in a 2012 poll for "Britain's worst place name" carried out by the genealogy website Find My Past . [3]

Scratchy Bottom was the location for the opening of the 1967 film Far from the Madding Crowd , in a scene in which Gabriel Oak's sheep are driven over a cliff by his sheepdog. [4]

Coordinates: 50°37′25″N02°16′52″W / 50.62361°N 2.28111°W / 50.62361; -2.28111

Related Research Articles

Lulworth Cove Inlet on the Jurassic Coast of Dorset, England

Lulworth Cove is a cove near the village of West Lulworth, on the Jurassic Coast in Dorset, southern England. The cove is one of the world's finest examples of such a landform, and is a World Heritage Site and tourist location with approximately 500,000 visitors every year, of whom about 30 percent visit in July and August. It is close to the rock arch of Durdle Door and other Jurassic Coast sites.

Seven Sisters, Sussex Place

The Seven Sisters are a series of chalk cliffs by the English Channel. They form part of the South Downs in East Sussex, between the towns of Seaford and Eastbourne in southern England. They are within the South Downs National Park which is bounded by the coast, the Cuckmere and the A259 road. They are the remnants of dry valleys in the chalk South Downs, which are gradually being eroded by the sea.

Durdle Door

Durdle Door is a natural limestone arch on the Jurassic Coast near Lulworth in Dorset, England. It is owned by the Welds, a family who own 12,000 acres (50 km2) in Dorset in the name of the Lulworth Estate. It is open to the public.

Burton Bradstock Human settlement in England

Burton Bradstock is a village and civil parish in Dorset, England, approximately 2 12 miles (4 km) southeast of Bridport and 12 mile (0.8 km) inland from the English Channel at Chesil Beach. In the 2011 Census the parish had a population of 948. The village lies in the Bride Valley, close to the mouth of the small River Bride. It comprises 16th- and 17th-century thatched cottages, a parish church, two pubs, a primary school, shop, post office stores, beach café, hotel, garage, village hall, reading room a library. The parish has a National Coastwatch Institution Station, Lyme Bay Station.

Milborne St Andrew Village in Dorset, England

Milborne St Andrew is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England. It is situated on the A354 road, 9 miles northeast of the county town Dorchester, in a winterbourne valley on the dip slope of the Dorset Downs. In the 2011 census the parish had 472 dwellings, 453 households and a population of 1,062.

Powerstock Human settlement in England

Powerstock is a village and civil parish in south west Dorset, England, situated in a steep valley on the edge of the Dorset Downs, 5 miles (8.0 km) north-east of the market town of Bridport. The civil parish includes the village of West Milton to the west and the summit and northern slopes of Eggardon Hill to the south-east. Powerstock village contains many cottages and 2 inns: The Three Horseshoes near the church and The Marquis of Lorne Inn on the other side of the valley in a small hamlet called Nettlecombe. The small Mangerton River runs through the valley.

Sydling St Nicholas Human settlement in England

Sydling St Nicholas is a village and civil parish in Dorset within southwest England. The parish is 5 to 9 miles northwest of the county town Dorchester and covers most of the valley of the small Sydling Water in the chalk hills of the Dorset Downs. The parish has an area of 2,075 hectares and includes the hamlet of Up Sydling in the north.

Gold Hill, Shaftesbury

Gold Hill is a steep cobbled street in the town of Shaftesbury in the English county of Dorset. The view looking down from the top of the street has been described as "one of the most romantic sights in England."

White Nothe

White Nothe is a chalk headland on the English Channel coast at the eastern end of Ringstead Bay, east of Weymouth in Dorset, England. The area is well known for its geology and fossils. Its flanks are the result of prehistoric landslides and the inaccessible slopes of the undercliff provide a secluded wildlife habitat.

Shitterton Human settlement in England

Shitterton is a hamlet in Dorset, England. It has attracted worldwide attention for its name, which dates back at least 1000 years and means "farmstead on the stream used as an open sewer". Shitterton has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names. The hamlet includes a collection of historic thatched buildings dating back to the 18th century and earlier.

<i>Far from the Madding Crowd</i> (1967 film)

Far from the Madding Crowd is a 1967 British epic drama film adapted from Thomas Hardy's 1874 book of the same name. The film, starring Julie Christie, Alan Bates, Terence Stamp and Peter Finch, and directed by John Schlesinger, was Schlesinger's fourth film. It marked a stylistic shift away from his earlier works exploring contemporary urban mores. The cinematography was by Nicolas Roeg and the soundtrack was by Richard Rodney Bennett. He also used traditional folk songs in various scenes throughout the film.

Saviours Day (song) 1990 single by Cliff Richard

"Saviour's Day" is a song by Cliff Richard. It was the United Kingdom Christmas number one single in 1990, the second occasion Richard had a solo Christmas number one. The video for the song was filmed in Dorset. It has subsequently been voted into lists of both the best and the most annoying Christmas songs.

Far from the Madding Crowd is a 1998 drama television film adaptation of Thomas Hardy's 1874 novel of the same name.

Swyre Head, Lulworth

Swyre Head, Lulworth is a hill and sea cliff which lies on the Jurassic Coast between Bat's Head to the west and Durdle Door to the east, close to Lulworth in Dorset, England. It is located approximately 8 miles (12.9 km) east of Weymouth and 14 miles (22.5 km) west of Swanage.

Mapperton Human settlement in England

Mapperton is a civil parish in Dorset, England, 3 miles (4.8 km) south-east of Beaminster. Dorset County Council estimated that the population of the parish was 60 in 2013.

Durdle Pier

Durdle Pier is a disused 17th-century stone shipping quay, located on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England; part of the Jurassic Coast. It is found close by Yeolands Quarry, on the east side of the island within the area of East Weares and Penn's Weare.

Freshwater Bay, Portland

Freshwater Bay is a bay on the east side of the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England, south from Church Ope Cove and between the villages of Wakeham and Southwell. It forms part of the Jurassic Coast.

<i>Far from the Madding Crowd</i> (2015 film)

Far from the Madding Crowd is a 2015 British romantic drama film directed by Thomas Vinterberg and starring Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts, Tom Sturridge and Michael Sheen. An adaptation by David Nicholls of the 1874 novel Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy, it is the fourth film adaptation of the novel.

Kings Pier

King's Pier is a 17th-century stone shipping quay, located on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England; part of the Jurassic Coast. It is found at the boundary point of the land owned by Portland Port Ltd, on the east side of the island within the area of East Weares. To the north of the pier is Balaclava Bay, whilst further south along the coastline are the remains of Folly Pier and Folly Pier Waterworks, East Weare Rifle Range, the two Salt Pans, Little Beach and Durdle Pier respectively. When active, King's Pier was one of the most important stone shipping pier sites.

Folly Pier

Folly Pier is a disused stone shipping quay, located on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England; part of the Jurassic Coast. It is found on the east side of the island within the area of East Weares. Other piers within the area include King's Pier and Durdle Pier respectively. Folly Pier dates from the 17th century.

References

  1. Rude Britain: The 100 Rudest Place Names in Britain by Ed Hurst and Rob Bailey ISBN   0-7522-2581-2
  2. "'Rude' English streets defended". BBC News. 7 January 2009. Retrieved 7 January 2009.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  3. "Scratchy Bottom beats Brokenwind, but Shitterton takes the prize... for unfortunate place names". London Evening Standard. 15 August 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2013.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  4. "Far from the Madding Crowd (1967) - Filming locations" . Retrieved 2008-11-13.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)