Greyhound Yard

Dorchester ( DOR-ches-tər) is the county town of Dorset, England. It is situated between Poole and Bridport on the A35 trunk route. An historic market town, Dorchester is on the banks of the River Frome to the south of the Dorset Downs and north of the South Dorset Ridgeway that separates the area from Weymouth, 7 miles (11 km) to the south. The civil parish includes the experimental community of Poundbury and the suburb of Fordington. The area around the town was first settled in prehistoric times. The Romans established a garrison there after defeating the Durotriges tribe, calling the settlement that grew up nearby Durnovaria; they built an aqueduct to supply water and an amphitheatre on an ancient British earthwork. After the departure of the Romans, the town diminished in significance, but during the medieval period became an important commercial and political centre. It was the site of the "Bloody Assizes" presided over by Judge Jeffreys after the Monmouth Rebellion, and later the trial of the Tolpuddle Martyrs. In the 2011 census, the population of Dorchester was 19,060, with further people coming from surrounding areas to work in the town which has six industrial estates. The Brewery Square redevelopment project is taking place in phases, with other development projects planned. The town has a land-based college, Kingston Maurward College, The Thomas Hardye School, three middle schools and thirteen first schools. The Dorset County Hospital offers an accident and emergency service, and the town is served by two railway stations. Through vehicular traffic is routed round the town by means of a bypass. The town has a football club and a rugby union club, several museums and the biannual Dorchester Festival. It is twinned with three towns in Europe. As well as having many listed buildings, a number of notable people have been associated with the town. It was for many years the home and inspiration of the author Thomas Hardy, whose novel The Mayor of Casterbridge uses a fictionalised version of Dorchester as its setting.

All Saints Church is a former Church of England church in Dorchester, Dorset, England. Designed by Benjamin Ferrey and built in 1843–45, the church is a Grade II* listed building.

The King's Arms is a large pub and hotel on High East Street, Dorchester, Dorset. It is grade II* listed. The Buildings of England describes its frontage as a "fine expansive early [nineteenth-century] composition", with an attached assembly room, although the hotel is older than this. It is a former coaching inn.

The Municipal Buildings are based on the north side of High East Street in Dorchester, Dorset, England. The structure, which was the headquarters of Dorchester Borough Council, is a Grade II* listed building.

St Peter's Church is a Church of England church in Dorchester, Dorset, England. The majority of the church dates from the 15th century, with later alterations and extensions over the following centuries. The church has been a Grade I listed building since 1950.

The Dorset County Museum is located in Dorchester, Dorset, England. Founded in 1846, the museum covers the county of Dorset's history and environment. The current building was built in 1881 on the former site of the George Inn. The building was designed specifically to house the museum's collection and is in the neo-Gothic style. The museum includes information and over 2 million artifacts associated with archaeology (e.g., Maiden Castle), geology (e.g., the Jurassic Coast), history, local writers (e.g. Thomas Hardy) and natural science. There are video displays, activity carts for children, and an audio guide. The collections include fossilised dinosaur footprints, Roman mosaics and original Thomas Hardy manuscripts.

Wessex FM was a local radio station for the Weymouth, Dorchester and Bridport areas of Dorset, originating from studios in Dorchester. It broadcast on 97.2 MHz in Weymouth and Dorchester (from the Bincombe Hill transmitter), and on 96.0 MHz in Bridport (from the Bridport transmitter).

Holy Trinity Church is a Roman Catholic and former Church of England church in Dorchester, Dorset, England. Built in 1875–76 to the designs of Benjamin Ferrey, it was declared redundant by the Church of England in 1975 and reopened the following year as a Roman Catholic church. It has been a Grade II listed building since 1975.

The Dinosaur Museum is a museum presenting dinosaurs in Dorchester, the county town of Dorset, in southern England. The Dinosaur Museum is the only museum in mainland Britain dedicated purely to dinosaurs. The museum is not far from the Jurassic Coast to the south, a World Heritage Site. The museum is based in Icen Way in central Dorchester. It features an outdoor model of a triceratops that was renovated in 2012. At Easter, the museum features a dinosaur Easter egg hunt.

Dorchester Castle was a motte and bailey castle in the market town of Dorchester, Dorset, southern England (grid reference SY692909).

The Dorchester Hospital was a hospital in Dorchester, Dorset, England. It served the local area for many years before being replaced by the newer Dorset County Hospital in 1998. It was managed by the West Dorset General Hospitals NHS Trust.

HM Prison Dorchester was a local men's prison, located in Dorchester in Dorset, England. The prison was operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service, and closed in January 2014.