Garden design, development and embellishment became the fashion amongst the landowning gentry of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, splashing their cash on elements that had no purpose other to be admired. ‘Sanctuaries’, ‘observatories’, ‘thinking towers’, 'memorials' and 'commemorations' popped up on hilltops and in hidden valleys, usually viewable through the manors windows. A selection … Continue reading Dorset’s Follies and Obelisks
From the Royal village of Tollard, sitting on the boundary of Dorset and Wiltshire, circle the famous Victorian gardens of the Larmer Tree. Start at the village pond, opposite a grumpy cart shed, to climb up to the church. Pass the terracotta coloured old manor of King John’s House, which began life as the Kings … Continue reading Larmer Tree
Explore the little bowl of Kimmeridge. Climb up its easterly peak to the Clavell Tower, once a folly then a coastguard station now a holiday home. Skim the wide open bay, darkened by its precious black rock, to Gaulter Gap. Follow the little river upstream to reach the hidden hamlet, so out of the way … Continue reading Kimmeridge
From White Mill, sitting on the River Stour, and the medieval bridge, of the same name, discover the old railway cutting through the floodplains. Walk through the forested park of Henbury, the land developed into the modern age. Meet the boundary of Charborough Park, one of the largest private estates in the county, its 120ft … Continue reading Sturminster Marshall to Charborough
Wander around the small hamlets that combine to make the parish of Hazelbury Bryan. From escaping the Black Death and the flames they used to extinguish it, the settlement has shifted away from the church leaving it isolated and alone. Skim the tip of the valley of the River Lydden that fed the old mill, … Continue reading Hazelbury Bryan
Circle the steep horseshoe bowl of Lyscombe Bottom. Explore the surrounding ancient landscape, filled with ancient earthworks, Iron Age hillforts and medieval trackways to find the remains of a lost, little village. Clamber the ruins in the valley, follow the river upstream and scale the slopes to the views, all in the central heart of … Continue reading Lyscombe Bottom
