Holnest SSSI, Dorset

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.

Glanvilles Wootton, or Wootton Glanville, is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England. It is situated in the Blackmore Vale under the scarp of the Dorset Downs, five miles (eight kilometres) south of Sherborne. In the 2011 Census the parish had a population of 196.To the north of the village is Round Chimneys Farm, which used to be a manor house and home of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough. The Farm, Grade II listed since 1960, "originated c.1590s, probably added to 1632 with extensive alterations and demolitions C19". One mile (1.5 kilometres) southeast of the village is the hill fort Dungeon Hill. According to Dorset OPC, "the name of the Parish was changed in 1985, having previously been Wootton Glanville". The Parish Church is St Mary the Virgin and its register starts at the year 1546. It has been Grade I listed since 1964 as "mainly C14" modifications made in the 15th century and the early 19th century. A great deal of additional historic information about the community and its structures is provided by a document titled An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Dorset, Volume 3, Central. Originally published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1970.One of the most significant properties in the area, The Manor House, Glanvilles Wootton, is a Georgian manor house, which incorporates an earlier 17th-century house, on 88 acres of parks, pastures and gardens, according to Country Life (magazine). The original house is believed to have been built circa 1616 by George Williams, originally from Wales; the newer Georgian home was built in 1804 by Glanvilles Wootton.The "MANOR HOUSE FARMHOUSE WOOTTON GLANVILLES FARM" has been Grade-II listed since 1974. The farm house appears to have originated in the mid 1800s but was modified circa 1978.

Alweston is a village in Dorset, England, situated roughly 3.5 miles (5.6 km) southeast of Sherborne. Historically it belonged to the Parish of Folke, in the Hundred of Sherborne. It lies just off the A3030 road, with Haydon to the north, North Wootton to the west, Caundle Marsh to the southeast and Folke to the south.The village is known for its baking, and bread is delivered to Sherborne, Blandford, Canford Cliffs and Westbourne from the village.

St Peter and St Paul's Church is a Church of England parish church in Caundle Marsh, Dorset, England. It was designed by Robert Howard Shout and built in 1856–57. The church is a Grade II listed building.

Folke is a parish in the county of Dorset in southern England, situated in the Blackmore Vale, approximately 3.5 miles (5.6 km) south-east of Sherborne. The parish has an area of 2,120 acres (8.6 km2) and is made of the villages of Folke and Alweston, and the hamlet of Bishops Down. Dorset County Council's 2013 estimate of the population of Folke parish is 270. In the 2011 census figures have been published for the population of Folke parish combined with the small parish of North Wootton to the north; this was 339.The Manor House in the hamlet of Folke dates from about 1500 and adjoins the early 17th-century parish church. The house of Font le Roi, sited by the road towards Sturminster Newton, was built as a gatehouse in the 15th century. Folke Wood is nearby.

Caundle Marsh is a village and civil parish in northwest Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale, 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast of Sherborne. The parish includes the hamlet of Tut Hill and the Dorset County Council estimate that in 2013 the population of the parish was 70.

Folke Wood is a wood near Folke in Dorset, England. It was planted by the Woodland Trust in 1985. It consists of native broadleaved trees as well as apple and ash trees. The apple trees are the remains of an orchard which existed in the 19th century.

Longburton or Long Burton is a village in Dorset, England, three miles (5 km) south of Sherborne. It is sited on a narrow outcrop of Cornbrash limestone, at the western end of Blackmore Vale. At the 2011 census, it had a population of 470.

North Wootton is a hamlet and civil parish in Dorset, England, situated approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) southeast of Sherborne. It is sited on a narrow band of Cornbrash limestone, with Oxford clay adjacent to the southeast and Forest Marble to the northwest. In 2013 the estimated population of the parish was 50.The land of the parish has traditionally been owned by the owner of Sherborne Castle, so past owners have included Sir Walter Raleigh and bishops of Salisbury Cathedral. Residents of the parish previously had to take the deceased to Sherborne Abbey for burial; this arrangement stopped in 1618.

Bishop's Caundle is a village and civil parish in Dorset, South West England. It is situated 6 miles (9.7 km) south-east of Sherborne. The local travel links are located 4 miles (6.4 km) from the village to Sherborne railway station and 28 miles (45 km) to Bournemouth International Airport. The main road running through the village is the A3030, connecting Bishop's Caundle to Sherborne. Dorset County Council's 2013 mid-year estimate of the population of the civil parish is 390.

Hermitage is a small village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England. It is situated in the Blackmore Vale under the scarp of the Dorset Downs, 6 miles (9.7 km) south of the town of Sherborne. Dorset County Council's latest (2013) estimate of the parish population is 70.Augustinian monks once had a hermitage here (also known as the Blackmoor Priory Hermitage), whence the name of the village, but they abandoned the site in the 14th or 15th century. The Lady's Well which they used still remains, on the edge of woodland a short distance from the village.

Haydon is a village and civil parish 16 miles (26 km) north of Dorchester, in the Dorset district, in the county of Dorset, England. In 2001 the parish had a population of 44. The parish touches Castleton, Caundle Marsh, Folke, Goathill, North Wootton and Purse Caundle.