East Orchard

St Thomas's Church is a Grade II listed building in East Orchard, Dorset. The church dates from 1859. The Diocese of Salisbury discontinued services in 2018, and in 2023 planning permission as granted to turn the church into a residential property.

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.

St Luke's Church is a Church of England church in West Orchard, Dorset, England. Most of the church dates to a rebuild of 1876–77 to the designs of Thomas Henry Wyatt, but the chancel is 15th-century. The church is a Grade II listed building.

West Orchard is a small village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England. It is situated in the Blackmore Vale in the North Dorset administrative district, approximately halfway between the towns of Shaftesbury and Sturminster Newton. It is separated from the adjacent settlement of East Orchard by a stream. In 2013 the civil parish had an estimated population of 50. For local government purposes the parish is grouped with the parishes of East Orchard and Margaret Marsh, to form a Group Parish Council.St Luke's Church was rebuilt in 1876–77 to the designs of Thomas Henry Wyatt, but the chancel is 15th-century.

Bedchester is a hamlet in the civil parish of Fontmell Magna, in Dorset, England. A sign for Bedchester can be briefly seen in The Only Fools and Horses episode, A Touch of Glass.

HM Prison Guys Marsh is a Category C men's prison, located near Shaftesbury, Dorset, England. Guys Marsh is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service.

All Saints' Church is a former Church of England church in Stour Row, Dorset, England. The church, a Grade II listed building, was designed by John Hicks and built in 1867. The church formed part of the Stour Vale Benefice and was closed in 2015.

Stour Row is a village in north Dorset, England, situated beside Duncliffe Hill three miles (five kilometres) southwest of Shaftesbury. It lies within the parish of the neighbouring village of Stour Provost. Stour Row has approximately 150 houses and 300 residents. It has a village hall, which is used to run regular social events. Today it has few other amenities, but it had a petrol station, pub and shop prior to the early 1980s. It has a church, All Saints, which was built in 1867 but which has now closed due to falling congregation numbers. The last service was held in the church on 15 October 2015. Stour Row lies within the SP7 postcode area on the edge of the Blackmore Vale.

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 (three kilometres) east of Sturminster Newton. The geology of the parish consists mostly of Kimmeridge clay, with a thin strip of Corallian limestone in the west.

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 (three kilometres) 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 ('de Moion' or 'Mohun'). In 2001 the parish had 19 households and a population of 49. In 2013 the estimated population of the parish was 40.

Alcester, a village in Dorset, England, is a liberty in the parish of St. James Shaftesbury, within the parliamentary borough of Shaftesbury, but without the municipal borough, Dorset. Pop., 342. Houses, 76

Duncliffe Wood is an ancient woodland on the summit of Duncliffe Hill, a few miles west of Shaftesbury. The area of the site is 92.16 hectares (227.7 acres), making it one of the largest ancient woodlands in North Dorset.The woodland is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, when it was owned by Roger de Belmont and valued at nine pounds. From there it passed into the possession of a French nunnery, until in 1414 it became a Crown property, from which it was then given to Eton College. Finally, it came into the ownership of King's College, Cambridge, in which it remained for 500 years. In 1984, the Woodland Trust—with the assistance of the Countryside Commission and local councils—acquired the site from the Forestry Commission as part of their offloading process. The woodland was traditionally coppiced until at least the 1930s, with a broad mix of native broadleaf trees—oak, ash, and hazel. During the 1960–70s, the woods were largely felled and replanted—predominantly with Norway spruce (Picea abies) and oak, with lesser amounts of Japanese larch (Larix kaempferi) and beech. The Woodland Trust has, since its acquisition of the site, been felling the conifers and replanting them with native broadleaves, or else leaving them as clearings to encourage wildlife. In addition, the trust is trying to protect the remains of the original ancient woodland; the lime trees (Tilia) in the wood are reputed to be some of the oldest living things in Dorset, estimated at between 600 and 1000 years old. Notable butterflies on the site are the silver-washed fritillary, white admiral and purple hairstreak.