Sturminster Newton

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Sturminster Newton
White Hart, Sturminster Newton - geograph.org.uk - 336299.jpg
The White Hart, Market Cross
Arms of Sturminster Newton Town Council.svg
Coat of arms of Sturminster Newton Town Council
Dorset UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Sturminster Newton
Location within Dorset
Population4,408 (2021)
OS grid reference ST786140
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town STURMINSTER NEWTON
Postcode district DT10
Dialling code 01258
Police Dorset
Fire Dorset and Wiltshire
Ambulance South Western
UK Parliament
Website https://sturminster-newton.org.uk/
List of places
UK
England
Dorset
50°55′34″N2°18′18″W / 50.9261°N 2.3051°W / 50.9261; -2.3051

Sturminster Newton is a town and civil parish situated on the River Stour in the north of Dorset, England. The town is at the centre of the Blackmore Vale, a large dairy agriculture region around which the town's economy is built, and is known as 'the heart of the Blackmore vale'.

Contents

The town has shops, a primary and secondary school – Sturminster Newton High School – and a school and college catering for children with special educational needs. A market is held in the town on Mondays. One of the largest cattle markets in England used to be held here, [1] but it was closed in 1998.

The town is noted for its connections with the authors Thomas Hardy and William Barnes, and as part of the historic West Country Carnival circuit.

History

Sturminster Newton Museum in the Old Market Cross House The Market House Sturminster Newton - geograph.org.uk - 250339.jpg
Sturminster Newton Museum in the Old Market Cross House
The town centre, showing the remains of the 15th-century market cross. Sturminster Newton, town centre - geograph.org.uk - 1436124.jpg
The town centre, showing the remains of the 15th-century market cross.

Sturminster Newton was recorded in an Anglo-Saxon charter in 968 as Nywetone at Stoure, and in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Newentone. Newton refers to a new farm or estate, and Sturminster to a church (minster) on the Stour. Originally the two parts of the name referred to the settlements on the north and south of the river, but were combined to distinguish the town from Sturminster Marshall and other Newtons. [2] The history of the town and surrounding area has been researched by the Sturminster Newton Heritage Trust, which runs the Sturminster Newton Museum in the Old Market Cross House in the centre of town. The Museum is open to visitors on some days every week. [3]

Hidden on the hill above the bridge over the river are the ruins of Sturminster Newton Castle, a manor house rather than a defensive building. The 14th-century building stands on a crescent shaped mound which could be the site of an Iron Age hillfort. [4] The town and castle were part of Sturminster Newton hundred.

Sturminster Newton is situated at a historic fording point on the River Stour. The ford was replaced in the 16th century with a six-arch stone bridge, and a quarter-kilometre embankment crossing the flood plain. The bridge was widened from 12 to 18 feet (3.7 to 5.5 metres) in 1820. [5] A 19th-century plaque affixed to the bridge states that anyone damaging the bridge would be transported to Australia as a felon.

Sturminster Newton Mill Sturminster Newton Mill - geograph.org.uk - 1297822.jpg
Sturminster Newton Mill

The Sturminster Newton Heritage Trust runs the Sturminster Newton Mill on the south bank of the river and which has existed since at least 1016. The mill was restored in 1980 and is now a working museum watermill which is open to visitors on some days every week between the end of March and the end of September. [6] The mill resumed commercial production of flour in 2020. [7]

The town centre is built in a mixture of styles, including 17th- and 18th-century thatched cottages, Georgian stone buildings, and 19th-century brick buildings. Set back from the main road is the market square and parish church of St Mary, which was rebuilt in 1486 by the abbots of Glastonbury. The church was heavily modified in the 19th century, but the carved wagon roof remains.

Sturminster Newton railway station was served by the Somerset and Dorset Railway, which ran through the town from 1863 until it was dismantled in 1966 as part of the Beeching Axe. The railway goods yard gave milk trains access to the private sidings of the local creamery. Started in 1913 by local farmers to produce cheddar cheese and pasteurised milk, it was taken over by the Milk Marketing Board in 1937. Milk trains ceased in 1966 on closure of the line, with the creamery remaining in operation until 2000 under successor Dairy Crest. [8] The station and goods yard were demolished in the mid-1970s. [9]

The town is set in the vale on which Thomas Hardy based his fictional Vale of the little dairies (in his novel Tess of the d'Urbervilles ) and Sturminster had the largest cattle market in Europe, which stood close to the town centre until it was closed and demolished in 1997. [10]

Governance

Sturminster Newton electoral ward elects one member to Dorset Council. The town also has a town council of 11 members. [11]

In the UK parliament, Sturminster is in the North Dorset parliamentary constituency which is currently represented by Simon Hoare of the Conservative party. [12]

Sculpted column commemorating the former cattle market that was first established in 1219 Sturminster Newton, cattle-market memorial - geograph.org.uk - 1436081.jpg
Sculpted column commemorating the former cattle market that was first established in 1219

Geography

Sturminster Newton civil parish covers about 4,550 acres (1,840 hectares) [13] at an elevation of 45 to 119 metres (148 to 390 feet), [14] [15] with the highest ground being in the southeast.

The town is situated on a meander of the River Stour. The larger part of the town (Sturminster) lies on a low limestone ridge to the north side of the river, and includes most shops and services, whilst to the south is the smaller Newton, separated by a wide flood plain.

The geology of the parish comprises Oxford clay in the northwest, Corallian limestone and sands in the northeast, centre and southwest, and Kimmeridge clay in the southeast. [13]

To the southeast of the town are Girdlers Coppice and Piddles Wood, areas of mature woodland that are designated as sites of special scientific interest.

Demography

Census data is for Sturminster Newton civil parish, which also includes the small settlements of Bagber, Broad Oak and Puxey.

Census data for Sturminster Newton parish
DatePopulationHouseholds
2021 [16] 4,4081,988
2011 [17] 4,2921,910
2001 [18] 3,1051,412

Religion and culture

Parish church of St Mary Sturminster Newton, parish church of St. Mary - geograph.org.uk - 525907.jpg
Parish church of St Mary

St Mary's Church is a Church of England parish church, dating from a rebuild in 1486 by the abbots of Glastonbury. The church was heavily modified in the 19th century, but the carved wagon roof remains. It is designated as a Grade I listed building by Historic England. [19]

Sturminster Newton is the home of the annual UK Boogie Woogie Festival, [20] which in 2009 saw an appearance from veteran boogie woogie star Little Willie Littlefield.

The Exchange, a community arts and conference centre, on Old Market Hill, was built on the site of the old cattle market. It was officially opened by Julian Fellowes in December 2007 and provides a venue for music concerts, drama and other events. [21]

The Dorset Bach Cantata Club is based in Sturminster Newton.[ citation needed ] Sturminster Newton United F.C., founded in 1871, play in the Dorset Premier Football League.[ citation needed ]

Media

Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC West and ITV West Country. Television signals are received from the Mendip TV transmitter, [22] BBC South and ITV Meridian can also be received from the Rowridge TV transmitter. [23]

Local radio stations are BBC Radio Solent, Greatest Hits Radio South (formerly Vale FM), and Abbey104, a community based radio station that broadcast from its studio in Sherborne. [24]

The Dorset Echo is the local newspaper that serves the town.

International relations

Twin towns

Sturminster Newton is twinned with:

Notable people

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Stour, Dorset</span> Human settlement in England

East Stour is a village and civil parish in the ceremonial county of Dorset in southern England. It lies within the Dorset administrative district, about two miles south of the town of Gillingham. The village is 1⁄2 mile from the east bank of the River Stour in the Blackmore Vale and two miles west of the broadly conical local landmark Duncliffe Hill. Above the west bank of the river, about one mile away, is the village of West Stour. The A30 London to Penzance road passes through the village. In the 2011 census the civil parish had a population of 573.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stalbridge</span> Human settlement in England

Stalbridge is a town and civil parish in Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale, near the border with Somerset. In the 2021 census the civil parish—which includes the hamlets of Stalbridge Weston, and Thornhill—had 1,224 households and a population of 2,668. The nearest towns are Sturminster Newton, four miles southeast, Sherborne, 6 mi (10 km) west, and Shaftesbury, 7 mi (11 km) northeast. Stalbridge is situated on the A357 on a low limestone ridge, one mile west of the River Stour. It officially became a town in April 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackmore Vale</span> Geographical area in north Dorset

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blandford Forum</span> Market town in Dorset, England

Blandford Forum is a market town in Dorset, England, on the River Stour, 13 miles (21 km) north-west of Poole. It had a population of 10,355 at the 2021 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Stour, Dorset</span> River in Dorset, England

The River Stour is a 61 mi (98 km) river which flows through Wiltshire and Dorset in southern England, and drains into the English Channel. The catchment area for the river and its tributaries is listed as 480 square miles (1,240 km2).

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North Dorset was a local government district in Dorset, England, between 1974 and 2019. Its area was largely rural, but included the towns of Blandford Forum, Gillingham, Shaftesbury, Stalbridge and Sturminster Newton. Much of North Dorset was in the River Stour valley, known as the Blackmore Vale. The economy of North Dorset was largely based on dairy agriculture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hinton St Mary</span> Village in Dorset, England

Hinton St Mary is a village and civil parish in Dorset, southern England. It is sited on a low Corallian limestone ridge beside the River Stour, one mile north of the market town Sturminster Newton. In 2001 the parish had 97 households and a population of 221. In 2013 the estimated population of the parish was 260. In 2021 the estimated population of the parish has decreased to 225.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marnhull</span> Human settlement in England

Marnhull is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England. It lies in the Blackmore Vale, three miles north of Sturminster Newton. The resort towns of Bournemouth and Weymouth are approximately 30 miles south. Marnhull is sited on a low ridge of Corallian limestone above the valley of the River Stour, which forms the northern and western boundaries of the parish. In the 2011 census the parish had 962 dwellings, 905 households and a population of 1,998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shillingstone</span> Human settlement in England

Shillingstone is a village and civil parish in the Blackmore Vale area of north Dorset, England, situated on the River Stour between Sturminster Newton and Blandford Forum. In the 2011 Census the civil parish had 479 households and a population of 1,170.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stour Provost</span> Human settlement in England

Stour Provost is a village and civil parish in the Blackmore Vale area of north Dorset, England, situated on the River Stour between Sturminster Newton and Gillingham. In old writings it is usually spelled Stower Provost.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sturminster Marshall</span> Village and civil parish in England

Sturminster Marshall is a village and civil parish in the east of Dorset in England, situated on the River Stour between Blandford Forum and Poole. The parish had a population of 1,895 at the 2001 census, increasing to 1,969 at the 2011 Census and includes the village of Almer west of Sturminster Marshall, near Winterborne Zelston and the hamlet of Henbury to the south-east of the village. The village is twinned with the French commune of Sainte-Mère-Église in Normandy. The appropriate electoral ward is called 'Stour'. From Sturminster Marshall the ward goes east to Pamphill, with a total population of 2,582.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Child Okeford</span> Human settlement in England

Child Okeford is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England, 3 miles east of the small town of Sturminster Newton in the North Dorset administrative district. Child Okeford lies downstream from Sturminster, along the River Stour, which passes half a mile west of the village. In the 2021 census the civil parish had a population of 1,170.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Durweston</span> Human settlement in England

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fifehead Neville</span> Human settlement in England

Fifehead Neville is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England, situated in the Blackmore Vale about two miles southwest of the town of Sturminster Newton. In the 2011 census the population of the parish was 147.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lydlinch</span> Human settlement in England

Lydlinch is a village and civil parish in the Blackmore Vale in north Dorset, England, about three miles west of Sturminster Newton. The village is sited on Oxford clay close to the small River Lydden. The parish – which includes the village of King's Stag to the south and Stock Gaylard House to the west – is bounded by the Lydden to the east and its tributary, the Caundle Brook, to the north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manston, Dorset</span> Human settlement in England

Manston is a small village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England, lying next to the River Stour in the Blackmore Vale, two miles east of Sturminster Newton. The geology of the parish consists mostly of Kimmeridge clay, with a thin strip of Corallian limestone in the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Okeford Fitzpaine</span> Village and civil parish in Dorset, England

Okeford Fitzpaine is a village and civil parish in the English county of Dorset, situated in the Blackmore Vale three miles south of the town of Sturminster Newton. It is sited on a thin strip of greensand under the scarp face of the Dorset Downs. In the 2011 census the civil parish—which includes the village of Belchalwell to the west and most of the hamlet of Fiddleford to the north—had 404 dwellings, 380 households and a population of 913.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hazelbury Bryan</span> Village in Dorset, England

Hazelbury Bryan is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England. It is situated in the Blackmore Vale, approximately five miles southwest of the small town of Sturminster Newton. The parish includes the hamlets of Droop, Kingston, Parkgate, Pidney, Pleck, Wonston and Woodrow. In the 2011 census the parish had 480 dwellings, 454 households and a population of 1,059.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margaret Marsh</span> Hamlet in Dorset, England

Margaret Marsh is a hamlet and civil parish in north Dorset, England. It is situated in the Blackmore Vale, halfway between the towns of Shaftesbury and Sturminster Newton. It is sited on Kimmeridge Clay close to a small tributary stream of the River Stour. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 60. In 2013 the estimated population of the parish was 40. The parish church has a 15th-century tower and 13th-century font, but the rest of the building was rebuilt in 1873. For local government purposes the parish is grouped with the parishes of East Orchard and West Orchard, to form a Group Parish Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hammoon</span> Village in Dorset, England

Hammoon is a small village and civil parish in the English county of Dorset, sited on a river terrace of alluvial silt by the River Stour, about two miles east of the small town of Sturminster Newton. Its name is derived from the Old English ham, meaning dwelling, and the surname of the Norman lord of the manor. In 2001 the parish had 19 households and a population of 49. In 2013 the estimated population of the parish was 40.

References

  1. ↑ "Sturminster Newton Tourist Information at iknow-dorset.co.uk". Archived from the original on 24 August 2009. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
  2. ↑ A.D. Mills, 1986. Dorset Place Names. Southampton, Ensign. ISBN   1-85455-065-9
  3. ↑ "The Museum, SNHT". Sturminster Newton Heritage Trust. 18 December 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  4. ↑ 'Sturminster Newton', in An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Dorset, Volume 3, Central (London, 1970), pp. 269–286. University of London. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  5. ↑ David McFetrich & Jo Parsons, 1998. Dorset Bridges. Wimborne: Dovecote Press ISBN   1-874336-51-2
  6. ↑ "Working Mill in Sturminster Newton, SNHT". Sturminster Newton Heritage Trust. 20 December 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  7. ↑ "One-Thousand-Year-Old Mill Resumes Production to Supply Flour Amid Pandemic, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 May 2020". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  8. ↑ "The Creamery at Sturminster Newton". cheesefestival.co.uk. Archived from the original on 28 December 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
  9. ↑ Mike Oakley, 2001. Dorset Railway Stations. Wimborne: Dovecote Press ISBN   1-874336-96-2
  10. ↑ Baker, Stephen (August 2012). "Sturminster Newton: anything but a new town". Dorset Life Magazine. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  11. ↑ "The Council". Sturminster Newton Town Council. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  12. ↑ "Dorset North Parliamentary constituency". Election 2015. BBC. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  13. 1 2 "'Sturminster Newton', in An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Dorset, Volume 3, Central (London, 1970), pp. 269–286". British History Online. University of London. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  14. ↑ Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Pathfinder Series, sheet ST 61/71 (Sherborne and Sturminster Newton), published 1985
  15. ↑ Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Pathfinder Series, sheet 1281 (ST81/91), Shillingstone & Tollard Royal, published 1987, ISBN   0-319-21281-5
  16. ↑ "Parish Profiles". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  17. ↑ "Area: Sturminster Newton (Parish). Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  18. ↑ "Key Statistics". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  19. ↑ "Church of St Mary, Sturminster Newton - 1324486 | Historic England".
  20. ↑ "UK Boogie Woogie Festival". UK Boogie Woogie Festival. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
  21. ↑ "Our story". The Exchange. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  22. ↑ "Full Freeview on the Mendip (Somerset, England) transmitter". UK Free TV. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  23. ↑ "Full Freeview on the Rowridge (Isle Of Wight, England) transmitter". UK Free TV. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  24. ↑ "Abbey 104" . Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  25. ↑ "Curiosities of Sturminster Newton – Dorset Life – The Dorset Magazine". www.dorsetlife.co.uk. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
  26. ↑ Labour Who's Who. London: Labour Publishing Company. 1924. p. 130.
  27. ↑ "Price wars: Mark Price on Christmas, convenience and cafés". 22 December 2014. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
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