West Stour, Dorset

Fifehead Magdalen is a small village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England. It lies within the Blackmore Vale, about three miles (five kilometres) south-southwest of Gillingham and five miles (eight kilometres) west of Shaftesbury. It is sited on Corallian limestone soil and surrounded by Oxford Clay, about 1⁄4 mile (400 metres) from the west bank of the River Stour. Its name means "the place of five hides dedicated to [St] Magdalene". In 2013 the estimated population of the parish was 80. The village was a venue for stave dances.

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. Stour Provost once constituted a liberty, containing only the parish itself. Today the civil parish includes the settlements of Woodville and Stour Row to the east. In the 2011 census the civil parish had 235 households and a population of 579.After the establishment of Stour Provost village near the River Stour, at least four smaller settlements were established in a piecemeal fashion from the 13th century – or perhaps earlier – in the common land or "waste" further east, at Woodville and beyond. These small groups of farms, with their own irregular shaped fields, were separated by unenclosed "waste" probably until the 18th century, when it was enclosed and divided into rectilinear fields.The nearest railway station is in neighbouring Gillingham, Dorset. Trains run on the Exeter to Waterloo line. Stour Provost is also home to Stour Provost Cricket Club. Giles Jones currently serves president of the club .

Bugley is a small hamlet in the district of North Dorset, in the county of Dorset, England. The River Stour runs past the hamlet. It is close to the town of Gillingham.

Fifehead Wood is a woodland in Dorset, England, near the village of Fifehead Magdalen. Owned and maintained by the Woodland Trust, Fifehead Wood covers a total area of 20.36 hectares (50.31 acres), and is situated upon a ridge of Corallian Limestone within the depths of Blackmoor Vale. The name 'Fifehead' is thought to originate with an assessment made during the Domesday census of 1086, the village at that time comprising 'five hides' of land.

Christ Church is a Church of England parish church in East Stour, Dorset, England. The church, a Grade II listed building, was designed by George Alexander and built in 1841–42. Today the church forms part of the Stour Vale Benefice.

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 (three kilometres) south of the town of Gillingham. The village is 1⁄2 mile (800 metres) from the east bank of the River Stour in the Blackmore Vale and two miles (three kilometres) west of the broadly conical local landmark Duncliffe Hill (with a summit elevation of 210 metres or 690 feet). Above the west bank of the river, about one mile (1.5 kilometres) 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.

Kington Magna is a village and civil parish in the Blackmore Vale area of Dorset, England, about 3+1⁄2 miles (5.5 kilometres) southwest of Gillingham.

Todber is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England. It lies in the Blackmore Vale, about five miles (eight kilometres) southwest of Shaftesbury. The underlying geology is Corallian limestone. In the 2011 census the parish had 55 households and a population of 140.In 1086 Todber was recorded in the Domesday Book as Todeberie; it was in the hundred of Gillingham, the lord was Geoffrey Mallory and the tenant-in-chief was William of Mohun. It had one mill, 12 acres (4.9 hectares) of meadow and 2 ploughlands.Todber parish church was rebuilt in the Early English and Perpendicular styles in 1879, though the tower is of earlier construction.Todber is one of four parishes — the others being East Stour, Stour Provost and West Stour — under the governance of The Stours Parish Council.

Marnhull ( MAR-nəl) is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England. It lies in the Blackmore Vale, three miles (five kilometres) north of Sturminster Newton. The resort towns of Bournemouth and Weymouth are approximately 30 miles (50 kilometres) 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.

St George's Church is a Church of England church in Langham, Gillingham, Dorset, England. It was designed by Charles Ponting and built in 1921. It has been a Grade II listed building since 1985. Today the church is used for occasional services, and is maintained by the Manger family trust.

Gillingham Friary was possibly a Dominican friary in the town of Gillingham, Dorset, England.

Buckhorn Weston is a village and civil parish in the English county of Dorset, situated in the Blackmore Vale about 3 miles (5 kilometres) west of the town of Gillingham. It lies on the western edge of the former royal hunting ground of Gillingham Forest. The underlying geology is Oxford clay and Corallian limestone. In the 2011 census the civil parish had a population of 356.In Saxon times the area was known as Bokere Waston, which meant 'hamlet in the wilderness near the dyke'. Saxons invaded the area around 450 AD, driving out existing inhabitants and possibly erecting a heathen temple on the site of a previous place of worship. When the Saxons converted to Christianity in about 600 AD, they built a church to replace the temple.In 1086 Buckhorn Weston was recorded in the Domesday Book as Westone; it had 26 households, 6 ploughlands and 40 acres (16 hectares) of meadow. It was in Gillingham hundred and the tenant-in-chief was Count Robert of Mortain. In 1349 the village was badly affected by the plague and its population much reduced. Later, the estate passed via the Stourton family (associated with Stourhead) and the Fane family into the hands of the Stapleton family in 1837 who remained substantial local landowners until the death of Sir Miles Stapleton in 1979. The village inn still bears the family name and coat of arms. In celebration of the Millennium, the village was enabled to build a new village hall with the help of significant external funding. The Parish Church of St John the Baptist was well established by the beginning of the 13th century and has probably existed from earlier times. The present building dates largely from the 14th and 15th centuries, though in the 19th century much of it was significantly altered, which included the rebuilding of the west tower.