Key facts
OS Grid Reference: ST9417
What3words: ///tentacles.impose.reservoir
Postcode: SP5
Unitary Authority: Wiltshire
Parliamentary Constituency: North Dorset
Tollard Royal
Tollard Royal, or Tollard as the locals call it, is a quaint village on the Wiltshire/Dorset border, rich in history and charm, and winner of Wiltshire’s Best Kept Village Award on several occasions – and for good reason.
Surrounded by rolling hills, woodlands, and open fields, the village is situated within the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (National Landscape). It’s around 14 miles, or a drive of 25 minutes, to Salisbury with all the city has to offer. But Tollard Royal offers so much more than just picturesque views and close proximity to a bustling city.
A small stream runs through the village and there’s a pond, village hall and war memorial, a community orchard and the ‘Tollard Tardis’, an old phone box with a defribrillator, book swap and local information on walks and accommodation.
On Sundays, and when there’s a wedding or christening, you can hear the bells of the 13th Century St Peter ad Vincula Church ring out, with receptions often then held at the Larmer Tree, a stunning wedding venue which sits in 11 acres of grounds and landscaped gardens on Rushmore Estate. Rushmore Golf Club has nine holes in Dorset and nine holes in Wiltshire!
The local pub with rooms, The King John Inn, serves locally-sourced produce in its seasonal menus and is a firm favourite with the locals.
Madonna and her then husband Guy Ritchie renovated Ashcombe House, formerly the home of fashion-photographer Cecil Beaton. The village was also home, back in the day, to former Prime Minster, Sir Anthony Eden, who lived at the Manor House.
History
The name Tollard stems from a man called Toli who held the land in the reign of Edward the Confessor in the 1050s. The name is then recorded as Tollard in the Domesday Book until the 16th Century when the suffix ‘Royal’ appears, attributed to King John who used the area surrounding Cranborne Chase as a royal hunting ground and had a royal hunting lodge locally.
In the early 1800s General Pitt Rivers, the archaeologist and anthropologist, converted the land to the south of the manor house into a pleasure garden, called Larmer Tree Grounds – they attracted nearly 25000 visitors in 1893! The gardens included a Whych Elm on the county border where the Tollard Manor courts were held in medieval times.
The church and King John’s House both date to the 13th Century or earlier. The pub, originally the Queens Arms, was built in 1885, but within a decade was renamed as the King John.
Most of the village is in the Cranborne Chase Conservation Area. The village even has a heraldic emblem.
Walking and cycling
The area around Tollard Royal is perfect for walking, cycling and horseriding. The perfect spot for this, and lots of other outdoor activities, is nearby Win Green on the South Wessex Downs, owned and managed by The National Trust.
