Beaminster
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Coordinates: 50°48′36″N 2°44′28″W / 50.810°N 2.741°W
| Beaminster | |
| Beaminster | |
 St. Mary's parish church |
|
 Beaminster
Beaminster shown within Dorset |
|
| Population | 2,936 (2001 census)[1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | ST4701 |
| - London | 145 miles (233 km) |
| Civil parish | Beaminster |
| District | West Dorset |
| Shire county | Dorset |
| Region | South West |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Beaminster |
| Postcode district | DT8 |
| Dialling code | 01308 |
| Police | Dorset |
| Fire | Dorset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | West Dorset |
| Website | beaminster.co.uk |
| List of places: UK • England • Dorset | |
Beaminster (pronounced bem-in-stur) is a small town and civil parish in the West Dorset district of Dorset in South West England, at the head of the valley of the River Brit.[2] Beaminster is 45 miles (72 km) south of Bristol, 38 miles (61 km) west of Bournemouth, 35 miles (56 km) east of Exeter and 15 miles (24 km) northwest of the county town of Dorchester. The 2001 Census recorded a parish population of 2,936.[1]
[edit] History
In the English Civil War the town declared for Parliament and was sacked by Royalist forces in 1644. The town suffered accidental fires in 1684 and 1781.[3] The town did not get a railway and thus remained relatively small.
Horn Park, about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north-west of Beaminster, is a neo-Georgian country house of five bays and two-storeys designed by architect T. Lawrence Dale and completed in 1911.[4] Inside the house the central corridor is barrel vaulted and leads to a drawing room whose groin vault is reminiscent of the work of Sir John Soane (1753-1837).[4] The drawing room includes Jacobean re-used from a 16th century country house at nearby Parnham,[4] which was being altered and restored at about the time that Horn Park was being built.[5] Horn Park is Listed Grade II. Its gardens are occasionally open to the public as part of the National Gardens Scheme.
[edit] Economy & society
The town hosts the Beaminster Festival, an annual nine-day music and art festival. Whitcombe Disc Golf Course at Beaminster has hosted the British Open Disc Golf Championship on a number of occasions and the European Disc Golf Championship in 2005. Clipper Teas Ltd is based in Beaminster.
[edit] Transport
The nearest railway station is 5 miles (8.0 km) north of the town at Crewkerne. Exeter International Airport is 30 miles (48 km) to the west. The main road through the town is the A3066, which leads to Bridport to the south and Mosterton and Crewkerne to the north.
[edit] Education
St Mary's Church of England Primary School[clarification needed]
Beaminster secondary school is a small school with about 700 pupils, from year 7 to year 11. It has a combined sixth form with the Sir John Colfox secondary school, in the nearby town of Bridport.
Now Beaminster Technology College, it "is a good school that is well-led and managed" (Ofsted report 2008) and is set to receive Bridport's Mountjoy Special School into its curtilage when the latter moves in the near future. More future plans include a new emphasis on training for facets of sustainable agriculture.
[edit] Notable people
Beaminster is the hometown of actor Martin Clunes, and was where singer PJ Harvey went to school. Mat Follas has his restaurant The Wild Garlic[6] in the town square. Beaminster is also home of Lynne Reid Banks, author of The L-Shaped Room and The Indian in the Cupboard. The American sociologist Talcott Parsons (1902-1979) could trace his family roots back to Beaminster on the mother's side of the family tree.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Area selected: West Dorset (Non-Metropolitan District)". Neighbourhood Statistics: Full Dataset View. Office for National Statistics. http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/viewFullDataset.do?instanceSelection=03070&productId=779&$ph=60_61&datasetInstanceId=3070&startColumn=1&numberOfColumns=4&containerAreaId=790371. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
- ^ beaminster.co.uk
- ^ Newman & Pevsner, 1972, page 86
- ^ a b c Newman & Pevsner, 1972, page 88
- ^ Newman & Pevsner, 1972, page 87
- ^ The Wild Garlic
[edit] Sources
- Newman, John; Pevsner, Nikolaus (1972). Dorset. The Buildings of England. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. pp. 84–89. ISBN 0 14 071044 2.
[edit] External links
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