Hermitage, Dorset

Telegraph Hill (267 metres, 876 feet high) is a hill about 1 mile northwest of Minterne Magna and about 10 miles north of Dorchester in the county of Dorset, England. Its prominence qualifies it as one of the so-called HuMPs. There is a transmission mast about 600 metres away on the spur to the northeast at High Stoy. Writing in 1906, Sir Frederick Treves described High Stoy as "the most engaging of all Dorset hills—a hill of 800 feet, made up of green slopes, a cliff, and a mantle of trees." Opposite High Stoy is Dogbury Hill, another bastion of the chalk escarpment. A Franciscan friary lies in the hamlet of Hilfield beneath the hill to the west.

Cerne, Totcombe and Modbury Hundred was a hundred in the county of Dorset, England. Some of its tithings and parishes were exclaves which indicates that its ancient manors were likely the possessions of one related family who received them during the reign of William the Conqueror. The hundred contained the following parishes: Cattistock Cerne Abbas Godmanstone Hilfield Hawkchurch (part) (transferred to Devon 1896) Nether Cerne West Compton

Hilfield is a small scattered village and civil parish in west Dorset, England, situated under the scarp face of the Dorset Downs 7 miles (11 km) south of Sherborne. Dorset County Council's 2013 estimate of the parish population is 50. Hilfield parish church, dedicated to St Nicholas, has late 13th- or early 14th-century origins, though the present building dates from the 15th century and was substantially altered in 1848. It has wooden parquet flooring, notable carved bench ends—possibly moved from Cerne Abbey and thought to be Flemish but of unknown age—and the pulpit and seating have 16th-century panelling. It is one of the smallest English parish churches. Hilfield Friary is a faith-based community centred on Franciscan brothers of the Anglican Society of St Francis. The Hilfield community is made up of Franciscan Brothers and others who join them; the community encourages environmental sustainability within the Franciscan ethos of peace, faith and justice.

At 248 metres (814 ft), Dogbury Hill is one of the highest hills in the county of Dorset, England. It is the site of a prehistoric hill fort.

St Andrew's Church is a Church of England parish church at Minterne Magna, Dorset, England. The church has 15th century origins and is a Grade II* listed building.

Minterne Magna is a village and civil parish in Dorset, England, situated midway between Dorchester and Sherborne. In the 2011 census the parish had a population of 184. The village is sited near the source of the River Cerne among the chalk hills of the Dorset Downs. Some of the highest points in Dorset, including Telegraph Hill (267 m) and Dogbury Hill (248 m), are nearby. St Andrew's Church contains the tombs of several members of the Napier family, who were Lords of the Manor from c.1600 to 1765.

The River Cerne is a 10 mi (16 km) river in Dorset, England, and a chalk stream, which rises in the Chalk hills of the Dorset Downs at Minterne Magna, between High Stoy and Dogbury Hill, flows down a valley through Cerne Abbas and Charminster, and flows into the River Frome in Dorchester. The Cerne Valley lies in the Dorset National Landscape.

Holnest is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England. It lies in the Blackmore Vale 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Sherborne. It is a scattered village, sited on Oxford clay which is drained by a small stream called The Cam. The A352 main road passes through the village. Dorset County Council's 2013 mid-year estimate of the population of the parish is 220. In the 2011 national census the population of Holnest parish combined with the small parish of Lillington to the north was 342; figures have so far not been published for Holnest parish alone. Holnest parish church stands behind a wall and large gates close to the main road. The gates are the result of a mausoleum which used to stand in the churchyard. This had been built in 1872 by John Samuel Wanley Sawbridge Erle-Drax as part of his preparations for his own funeral, but no provision was made for its upkeep and after his death and interment in 1887 it fell into disrepair and was later demolished. A description of the building was given in 1906 by Sir Frederick Treves, who said it was "almost as large as the humble church" and "a gaudy building, in the Byzantine style, made up of grey and yellow stone, worried by much carving and enlivened by highly polished granite pillars. The rounded roof, which to be consistent should be of corrugated iron, is of lead.".The church, dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, dates largely to the 14th and 15th centuries. Largely left untouched by the Victorian restorers, it contains a number of interesting features, including a Jacobean pulpit, rare examples of Georgian box pews with curved candle sconces above, an original medieval barrel-vaulted roof in the south aisle. In June 2016, the Friends of Holnest Church was set up to support the Parochial Church Council in their efforts to maintain and restore the building and its grounds. In October 2016, author and historian, Adrian Tinniswood, was announced as their patron. Holnest Park House is an 18th-century listed building which has more recently been divided into flats. It was badly damaged by a fire in 2010.

Batcombe Down (grid reference ST623040) is an 18.6 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Dorset, England: notified in 1952.

Cosmore is a hamlet in Dorset, situated just off the main A352 Sherborne-Dorchester road. It sits at the foot of Dogbury Hill, one of Dorset's highest points. It is bounded by two minor rivers, to the East by the Caundle Brook, and to the west, the River Lydden. There are 18 separate dwellings within the village, and the population is 45–50. The village is located 9 miles North of the county town, Dorchester, and 11 miles south of the historic Abbey town of Sherborne. Historic buildings include the 18th century Revel's Inn Farm which is reputed to be in one of Thomas Hardy's novels.

Leigh ( ) is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England, situated approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) south-southwest of Sherborne. It is known as the site of a former Miz Maze. In the 2011 census the parish had a population of 480.

Holnest SSSI, Dorset (grid reference ST667106) is a 54.83 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Dorset, notified in 2004.The site has a large population of Great Crested Newts.