Shaftesbury
If you grew up in the 70s and you think of Hovis bread, chances are you’ll automatically think of the picturesque Gold Hill in Shaftesbury.
The steep, cobbled street lined with higgledy piggledy stone tiled and thatched cottages was featured by director Ridley Scott in a 1973 TV advert for Hovis, which saw a baker’s boy puffing up the ancient hill with his bike before freewheeling back down to the strains of Dvorak’s Symphony No 9.
It was crowned ‘the most iconic UK advert of all time’ and made the street and its breathtaking views nationally famous – but the ancient Saxon market town of Shaftesbury is about much more than just its famous hill.
The highest town in Dorset, Shaftesbury looks out over Thomas Hardy’s beautiful Blackmore Vale and its mix of cobbled charm, artisan shops, and historic attractions makes it is a very special place to live.
It has a vibrant community, a range of independent shops, boutiques, cafes, restaurants and pubs, as well as a large supermarket and a farmers market on the broad High Street.
There are also doctors and dentist surgeries, a cottage hospital, an arts centre, sports facilities, and good primary and secondary schools.
Culture
Gold Hill Museum, with its award-winning cottage garden and sweeping views over Hardy’s Blackmore Vale, was founded in 1946 and displays many artefacts relating to the history of Shaftesbury and the surrounding area, including Dorset’s oldest fire engine, dating from 1744. Shaftesbury Abbey Museum tells the story of the abbey and has a medieval herb garden and orchard. Exhibits include stonework pieces excavated from the abbey’s ruins, Anglo-Saxon carvings and medieval floor tiles.
The Gold Hill Festival takes place in the abbey ruins in early July and is two days of music and fun, with a wide selection of stalls and lots of activities for children. Shaftesbury Fringe takes place every summer and celebrates all things creative, attracting an eclectic mix of performers from local singers to celebrity comics heading for Edinburgh.
Location
Shaftesbury sits on the A30 near the border with Wiltshire and on the edge of the beautiful Cranborne Chase. It is the gateway to the southwest, with Stonehenge to the east, Bath and Bristol to the north, and the Jurassic Coast to the south.
Salisbury is a 40-minute drive away, and you can be in Bath in just over an hour.
The nearest railway station is in neighbouring Gillingham, just four miles away, which is on the West of England line from London Waterloo to Exeter.
Local bus services connect Shaftesbury to surrounding villages and towns.
Schools
There are good primary and secondary schools in Shaftesbury and Gillingham, as well as the independent Clayesmore School and Bryanston School in Blandford Forum, and Port Regis a couple of miles from Shaftesbury.
Parks
Park Walk is a broad open space popular with walkers and with grassy gardens for kids to run around in. The long, flat expanse of paving is also excellent fun for bikes and scooters. St James Park is down the hill from Park Walk and has slides, swings and play equipment.
Shopping
There’s a wide range of shops in Shaftesbury with traditional tearooms, greengrocers, butchers and bakers and gift shops all on the high street. Check out the side streets and courtyards for hidden gems. Dogs are welcomed in most shops, cafes and pubs in town. Market days are on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, where you can find fresh bread, cake, fruit, veg, plants and crafts from local producers and growers.
Amenities
Shaftesbury has a non-league football club, Shaftesbury FC, and the Shaftesbury Lido at Barton Hill, an open-air swimming pool whose history goes back 170 years, making it one of the oldest pools in the country. It’s the only open-air swimming pool in Dorset and is open for everyone. The water is heated in the summer and the lido is also open through the winter for cold water swimming. ‘Shoulder Seasons’ in spring and autumn run when the water is warming up and cooling down.
Shaftesbury has a community hospital, opened in 1874 and named Westminster Memorial Hospital in memory of the Marquis of Westminster, whose widow donated the site in 1874. The town also has a public library.
Shaftesbury Arts Centre, based in the old covered market in the town centre, stages a variety of exhibitions, performances, workshops and training courses, and Swans Yard is known as the creative heart of Shaftesbury, specialising in unique, artisan shops and start-up businesses.
Restaurants & pubs
There’s lots of choice, so you need never go hungry or thirsty! Whether you want a relaxed coffee overlooking Gold Hill, an alfresco lunch, or a delicious dinner, Shaftesbury delivers – you can even pick up a picnic and head for Castle Hill or Park Walk to enjoy the stunning views over the Blackmore Vale.
Pubs include the 18th Century Ye Olde Two Brewers, just steps away from the picturesque Gold Hill, the charming Mitre, with its tiered outdoor terrace and stunning views over the Blackmore Vale, the New Forest Pub Company’s prettily painted Half Moon, or The Grosvenor Arms, a boutique hotel right in the heart of the historic town.
History
The Saxon market town was established in the 9th Century by Alfred the Great as a fortified settlement, and he founded a nunnery for his daughter Ethelgifu in 888. The stone wall bordering Gold Hill is believed to be part of the abbey defences. The abbey was the burial place in 979 of Edward II, and is also where King Canute died in 1035, although he is buried in Winchester. It was the second-wealthiest nunnery in England and was the last to be destroyed following Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries in 1539. At the top of the famous Gold Hill is the 14th Century St Peter’s Church, which today stands between the town hall and the Mitre pub. It was built to serve pilgrims visiting Shaftesbury Abbey and stood just outside the abbey wall. The town was hit hard by the Black Death in 1348, so it took over a century to complete the church, which resulted in a mix of architectural styles.
