Dorstone
| Dorstone | |
|---|---|
  Dorstone Location within Herefordshire | |
| Population | 401 (2011)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SO313418 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | HEREFORD |
| Postcode district | HR3 |
| Dialling code | 01981 |
| Police | West Mercia |
| Fire | Hereford and Worcester |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
Dorstone is a village within the Golden Valley, Herefordshire, England. There is a thriving community with a church[2] and public house[3] with restaurant. The Golden Valley area offers excellent hillwalking and horseback riding countryside and is noted for its scenery. It is within the catchment area of the popular Fairfield secondary school.
Dorstone once contained a castle, Dorstone Castle.[4] A mile to the south the fragmentary remains of Snodhill Castle can still be seen.[5][6] From 2014 to 2018, the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England (Historic England) put £150,000 into scientific and historical study of the Snodhill Castle site, plus an additional £500,000 grant to the Snodhill Castle Preservation Trust to complete clearing and restoration of the remains of Snodhill Castle, with the site opening to the public as of May 2018.[7][8]
Dorstone is home to the Golden Valley Young Farmers' Club. In 2006 and 2009 they won the National Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs pantomime competition in Blackpool making them the only YFC club in the country to have achieved this accolade.
St. Faith's parish church in Dorstone was reputedly built by Richard de Brito, one of the knights who murdered Thomas Becket, as penance for the murder. He also built the Pandy Inn in Dorstone to house the workmen who built the church. During Victorian era rebuilding of the church in the 1890s a tomb to another de Brito was found which contained a pewter chalice. This was housed in the church for many years but was stolen in 2006.
A Dorstone History Society has just been founded which hopes to find out more about the church and the village – which stretches back to Neolithic times as suggested by the local Arthur's Stone, Herefordshire, an ancient monument.
An annual sloe gin competition is held in Dorstone.[9] Each year the winner is crowned the "Grand Master of the Sloes".[10]
Railway
The Golden Valley Railway branch line to Hay-on-Wye was opened on 1 September 1881 as far as Dorstone and later extended to Hay-on-Wye. The new railway station and junction involved considerable addition to the track layout and buildings at Pontrilas.
The last passenger train out of Dorstone was on 23 August 1951.
Gallery
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Dorstone Church -
This impressive motte and bailey is thought to date from 11th to 12th centuries -
One of the last original tickets railway tickets
References
- ^ "Civil Parish population 2011". Retrieved 29 October 2015.
- ^ "Dorstone Church:: OS grid SO3141 :: Geograph Britain and Ireland – photograph every grid square!". Geograph.org.uk. Retrieved 2012-07-04.
- ^ "The Pandy Inn, Dorstone:: OS grid SO3141 :: Geograph Britain and Ireland – photograph every grid square!". Geograph.org.uk. Retrieved 2012-07-04.
- ^ "Dorstone Castle:: OS grid SO3141 :: Geograph Britain and Ireland – photograph every grid square!". Geograph.org.uk. Retrieved 2012-07-04.
- ^ staff writers (2016-10-23). "Trust takes over Snodhill Castle in Herefordshire". BBC News. Retrieved 2018-07-17.
- ^ "Snodhill Castle – 2:: OS grid SO3240 :: Geograph Britain and Ireland – photograph every grid square!". Geograph.org.uk. Retrieved 2012-07-04.
- ^ staff writers (2017-05-09). "Snodhill Castle is restored by villagers after £50k (sic) grant". BBC News. Retrieved 2018-07-17.
- ^ "Snodhill Castle Has Been Saved!". Historic England. Retrieved 2018-07-17.
- ^ "Golden Valley annual Sloe Gin Competition prepares for kick off". Hereford Times. 2011-01-11. Retrieved 2011-01-24.
- ^ "Dorstone Sloe Gin Competition 2010 – judging this Friday". Hereford Times. 2010-01-20. Retrieved 2011-01-24.
External links
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