What’s the occasion? It’s the 650th anniversary of the lay magistrates’ role in the justice system of England and Wales.

This public event, if you are interested, will include lively mock court sessions featuring JPs in historic costumes sentencing members of the public down to the cells beneath the courtroom. Blue Badge Guides will also be on hand to show people down to the cells and to provide specialist knowledge about the building’s controversial history.

Dorchester Crown Court

Over the years Dorchester County Court played host to the famous Tolpuddle Martyrs. This is where a group of 6 people formed a trade union to protest about poor pay and wage cuts.

Sometimes referred to as “Justices of the Peace”, magistrates are volunteers that play a vital role in dealing with around 95 per cent of all criminal cases in England and Wales.

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The Plaza Cinema in Dorchester

Are you doing anything on the 18th of December 2010?

There is a late night special at The Plaza Cinema in Dorchester.  This charity screening of the Chronicles of Narnia – The Voyage of the Dawntreader, aims to raise money for the West Dorset Women’s Refuge.

Date: Saturday 18th December
Time: Doors open at 11pm.

The staff have really got into the sprit of the event and dressing up.  They are also very generously committing there time for free.

Fancy dress is optional and would help crate a fun atmosphere.

Staff at the cinema are very generously giving of their time without pay so that all the proceeds from ticket sales can go directly to this extremely worthwhile cause.

Tickets cost £10 for adults and £5 for children

For more details contact the Plaza Cinema on (01305) 265454.

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Santa Arrives at Dorchester Christmas Cracker

This years Dorchester Christmas Cracker will be held on the 1 December 2010.

White Christmas in Dorchester

The theme for this year is going to be “White Christmas”, which will be interesting for the South Coast in December.  But you never know we might be lucky.

The ceremonial switching of the lights on will be conducted by Danny Young.  Some of you may remember him from Coronation Street.  Saturday night viewers will no doubt know him from Dancing on Ice.  Danny will be ably assisted by Dani De-Bear better known as Miss Teen Dorset Galaxy” or “Miss Weymouth Lifeboats”  Also on the cramped stage with be Wessex FM’s David Perry  & Steve Bulley from the Breakfast show.

Shopping in Dorchester

Danny Young

There shall be the usual array of stalls and shops for people to buy Christmas goodies.  Don’t forget that you can benefit from the free Parking in Dorchester scheme, which is now in full flow.

Events Programme

5.00pm – Roads close and stalls set up in High West Street
5.30pm – Music and entertainment begins
6.00pm – Christmas parade (Starts South Street, finishes by Herrings Art Shop)
6.30pm – Lights On.
8.00pm – 9.00pm – Roads re-open

Looking to pitch up

If you are looking to set up a stall you need a Christmas Cracker Application form.

The fees for a Charity stall is £10.(Space will be limited)

Traders stalls is £40.

We are really looking forward to a great night out – there is always plenty to see and do. The hot mulled wine is certain to get you in the Christmas mood – see you there!

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Paul Atterbury

The Antiques Roadshow has been on our televisions screens for over three decades. As a nation our fascination with valuable antiques once found in the loft and hidden behaind a sofa keep viewers ritually coming back for more every Sunday evening.

Presenters and experts have come and gone.  However, Mr Paul Atterbury, has been a mainstay on the experts panel for 14 years.

Despite working in the “Miscellaneous” section, Paul specialises in the art, architecture, design and decorative arts of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

The Biography of Paul Atterbury

Trained as a graphic designer, Paul went on to study art history and then worked for Sotheby Publications, as an historical advisor for Royal Doulton and then as editor of Connoisseur magazine.

For the past 19 years he has been a freelance writer, lecturer, broadcaster and exhibition curator, for the V&A Museum. His recent exhibitions there include Pugin: A Gothic Passion (1994) and Inventing New Britain: The Victorian Vision (2001).

Mr Atterbury also has close links with our very own Dorchester.

Want to meet him?

Dorset County Museum is playing host to an evening Paul Atterbury on the 12 November.

The evening promises to be filled will entertaining stories and tales from behind the scenes of the BBC’s hugely popular series.

Tickets cost £5.00

Location: Dorset Museum

For more information on An Evening with Paul Atterbury

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Winners rosette

Not all Tourist Information Centre are created equally.  In fact in a recent mystery shopping exercise by VisitEngland our very own Dorchester Tourist Information Centres (TICs) was recognised as one of the best  in the UK.

Out of 300 Information Centre around Great Britain, Dorchester and Lyme Regis both received 95% in in overall score.

Following this success the W. Dorset Council -run centre will be put forward for the prestigious South West Tourism Excellence Award for Tourist Information Service of the Year.

Each centre is a asessed in terms of  service received, staff knowledge and promotion of the area and the range of services on offer. Staff are also judged on their response to telephone and email enquiries.

The winner of the South West Tourism Excellence Award will be announced on 15 November and will go through to compete against other regional champions in the national Enjoy England Excellence Awards.

West Dorset District Council runs tourist information centres in Dorchester, Sherborne, Bridport and Lyme Regis.

Get in touch

Dorchester Tourist Information office telephone number is 01305 267992.

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TE Lawrence

Are you are T.E. Lawrence fan?  Are you passionate about the history of World War 1 and in particular the Great Arab Revolt.

Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence, or commonly know to you and I as TE Lawrence has been much credited with mobilising the Arab Revolt in World War One and subsequently became famous as ‘Lawrence of Arabia’.

A brief history off TE Lawrence

Born in Wales, Lawrence went on to study at Oxford University.  After graduating he  joined an archaeological dig in Syria, where he stayed from 1911 to 1914, learning Arabic.

When the first World War broke out Lawrence joined the army and due to his already in-depth knowledge of the Syria and the Arabic language he was posted to Cairo as an Intelligence Corp.

For more information about Lawrence’s history a detailed account can be found on Wikipedia.

TE Lawrence, the debate

But are all Mr Lawrence’s involvement in Great Arab revolt to be believed?

Interested in hearing more?

Neil Faulkner of the Great Arab Revolt Project is presenting an evening at the Dorset County Museum.

Tickets Cost £5

Map of Dorset Museum

19 October

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Dorset Shepherd plack

Dorchester Dorset

Dorset Shepherd plaque

Most local residents are familiar with the Thomas Hardy Statue set back from the road at the ‘Top of Town’ roundabout but there is also a less well know bronze sculpture of The Dorset Shepherd inspired by a William Barnes poem located in Durngate Street in the town of Dorchester.

Bronze sculpture inspired by Williams Barnes

The statuesque ‘The Dorset Shepherd’ sculpture was inspired by William Barnes’ poem, The Shepherd o’ the Farm. William Barnes was recognised and admired as a great poet by some of the foremost literary men of his time, including Thomas Hardy who regarded him as an equal. John Doubleday, made the sculpture in 2000 and sees it as a tribute to quiet heroism and wisdom and said “We look back at the values of a past age, to men who were intelligent, wise and interesting people. They were in harmony with the seasons and the natural world and probably had more to teach us than we could possibly teach them.”

Who was Williams Barnes?

The Dorset dialect poet was born in 1801 at Bagber near Sturminster Newton into a farming family. Even though his formal schooling finished at 13 he went on to work for Solicitor Thomas Coombs in 5 South Street, Dorchester, as an Engrossing Clerk until 1823, when he became a schoolmaster at Mere, Wiltshire. During this time he studied many subjects including sciences, history, archaeology, philology and languages. He was a gifted, intelligent and self educated man, who learned to play several musical instruments and mastered painting and engraving, as well as writing poetry in standard English and the Dorset dialect. In 1823 William Barnes opened a school at Mere in Wiltshire, and after his marriage to Julia Miles in 1827, the couple later moved to Dorchester and ran a boarding school – it closed early due to economic and rural poverty. William Barnes would have witnessed the unrest in the countryside with the Crown Court in Dorchester used as the setting for the 1834 trial of the “Tolpuddle Martyrs,” a group of 6 brave men from the nearby village of Tolpuddle who protested against pay cuts by wealthy landowners.

Dorset Shepherd Statue

In 1835 the Barnes family set up a school in Durngate Street, Dorchester. The large property housed ten boarders, twenty five day students (boys) as well as the Barnes’ four children, two servants and a trainee schoolmaster. It was also during this time that he started studying for his Divinity Degree with St. John’s College, Cambridge. Studying mainly from home over a ten year period, he was awarded the degree in 1850. He was ordained in 1848 and was appointed curate at Whitcombe near Dorchester. Barnes died in 1886.

Poems of rural life

His first poem was published in the Dorset County Chronicle in 1834 with a full collection of poems of Rural Life in the Dorset Dialect being published in book form in 1844. Barnes drew inspiration from rural life and was one of the founder members of the Dorset Field Club, which established the Dorset County Museum.

His wife’s death, in 1852, affected him deeply with many of his poems describing his love for her. He left, for our enjoyment, poems that paint a picture of the life and language of rural Dorset which had almost disappeared at the time he was writing. The Collection at Dorchester Reference Library contains most of his published works and is available for reference only.

With Barnes’ close association with Durngate Street, having lived and worked there, this area is a fitting location for ‘The Dorset Shepherd’ sculpture. This statue is a poignant reminder of Dorchester’s on-going role as a market town with strong historic links to sheep farming and the wool industry.

Sculpture Trail

When next in Dorchester why not follow the Sculpture Trail to discover more of Dorchester Town’s secrets and historical past.

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Dorchester French Market

Dorchester will come across all Francais this weekend.  The French market is coming to Dorchester.

The event is hugely successful, with large numbers of visitors coming to the town during the weekend.  Local French produce included breads, cheeses, sausages, leather goods, crepes, chocolate, sweets, and lots more .

AUGUST BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND – FRIDAY, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY – 27TH, 28TH & 29TH AUGUST 2010

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Tutankhamun Museum

10 Reasons to visit Dorchester

With the summer holidays nearly upon us many families are considering where to travel on holiday or perhaps a weekend visit.  Dorchester has an incredibly rich history dating back to pre-historic times.

Ideally situated in the center of the county, Dorchester, is an ideal spot to base yourself to access the rest of the Dorset.

The History of Dorchester

Dorchester’s roots can be traced back to prehistoric times.   Once considered one of the most influential settlements in pre-roman Britain, Maiden Castle (Hill Fort) was the site of the early settlements.

Roman features can still be spotted in the town today.  These include part of the town walls and the remains of a town house near the County Hall. There is also Maumbury Rings, a Roman amphitheatre and Poundbury Hill, another fort.

Dorchester Today

Even if the children will not sit still long enough to learn about this market-town, there are many reasons why you should visit Dorchester.  Here are 8 reasons why you should visit Dorchester.

View around Maumbury Rings

1) Maumbury Rings

Maumbury Rings, just off the Weymouth Road, was originally a Neolithic Henge monument from around 2500 BC. It was the Romans who lowered the central area and built up the banks to create an amphitheatre capable of holding 10,000 people.It was used as a cannon emplacement during the Civil War, guarding the town’s southern approaches. Mary Channing was executed here in 1705 for poisoning her husband. She was strangled and burnt.

It seems so peaceful now when the only disturbance is the occasional concert or performance but its long bloody history fascinated Thomas Hardy who witnessed excavations on this site when he was in his sixties. The site is mentioned in his novel, The Mayor of Casterbridge.  An arial view of the Rings.

2) Terracotta Warriors

The figures Terracotta Warriors Museum, in Dorchester are in all respects identical to the originals having been made near the Emperor’s tomb from the same clay and fired in the same way as the originals.

Tutankhamun Museum

3) The Tutankhamun Exhibition

What could be more unexpected in an English county town than to discover an exhibition dedicated to the Ancient Egyptian boy king, Tutankhamun!

4) The Keep, Military Museum

The river walk can be followed out towards Kingston Maurward by crossing the road at the bottom of High East Street. On the outskirts of Dorchester there are a number of riverside footpaths.

The Dinosaur Museum

6) The Dinosaur Museum

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Museums at night

Just like Ben Stiller and Ricky Gervais now’s your chance to have “A night at the Museum” as Dorchester’s curators open their doors for you to enjoy an evening exploring these fine and varied facilities. Museums at Night 2010 is a special initiative, organised by Culture24 and takes place during the weekend of Friday to Sunday 14-16th May. The event is part of European wide celebrations of International Museums Day and is funded by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA)

Everything comes to life

‘Museums at Night’ is coming to Dorchester in a big way on Saturday 15th May. The historic county town of Dorset boasts no fewer than five superb museums and this initiative will see all five open to visitors from 5pm to 9pm.

Dorchester is blessed with a wealth of top quality museums covering a fantastic range of topics and themes. There is sure to be something to surprise and educate be it  Roman Britain; Tutankhamun; Teddy bears; Thomas Hardy; Dorset’s military history; Dinosaurs, or simply Dorchester’s rich history. Museums at Night promises to be a very special night offering families and individuals an unrivalled opportunity to explore and discover.

‘Museums at Night’ venues

Dorchester County Museum

Dorset’s award winning County Museum located on High West Street, Dorchester is a fantastic base for exploring the history of Dorchester and the surrounding area. The family friendly Museum has fascinating modern galleries, dealing with a wide range of subjects including archaeology, farming history, Dorset wildlife, art, history and literature with special emphasis on the history of Thomas Hardy and the Jurassic Coast.

Dinosaur Museum

For dinosaur lovers, Dorset has the Dinosaur Museum, most recently chosen as one of Britain’s Ten Best Child-Friendly Museums. Located on Icen Way in the centre of Dorchester, the museum is a real treat for children and it combines life-sized reconstructions of dinosaurs with fossils and skeletons to create an exciting hands-on experience.

Teddy Bear Museum

The Teddy Bear Museum houses a large display of teddy bears from throughout the last century starting from the earliest examples right up to today’s TV favourites.  Located on the corner of High East Street and Salisbury Street, Dorchester, the wonderful and varied displays offer sheer enjoyment for the young, and for the not so young, with a fascinating and nostalgic look at this much loved toy,

The Keep Military Museum

The Keep Military Museum is sited in an impressive prominent historical building located at the top of the town in Dorchester, Dorset. It houses the splendid archive collection of the participating regiments that make up the Military Museum of Devon and Dorset. People of all ages can experience realistic battle environments, together with exhibitions and tales of courage, humour and sacrifice spread over 300 years.

Tutankhamun

The Tutankhamun Exhibition holds a spectacular recreation of Tutankhamun’s tomb and treasures. The Tutankhamun Exhibition opened in 1987 and houses the most comprehensive exhibition on the boy pharaoh outside of Egypt.

Bovington Tank Museum

Away from the town centre, but most certainly not to be overlooked, the Royal Tank Regiment Museum located at Bovington is also joining in this special event. On the evening of May 15^th, you can experience how the Army and tank crews have operated in darkness, from World War One to the present day in an extra special night at The Tank Museum. For this special evening you will be able to experience a torchlight tour of The Museum, try out state of the art night vision equipment with the Export Support Team, watch a night time vehicle exercise by the Army and discover what it’s like to crew a vehicle in the dark.

Special admission ticket

There is a special ticket available for the evening of 15^th May only, giving you admission to all six museums. Advance family tickets can be purchased for £6 from any of the ‘Museums at Night’ participating museums or from the Dorchester Tourist Information Centre. Special tickets purchased on the night will be £10. Five of the museums are within a short walk of each other and Culture 24 have produced a Google map listing all the participating ‘Museums at Night’ venues and their locations in Dorchester.

Many of the high quality restaurants, cafes and pubs in the centre of Dorchester, Dorset are linking in with ‘Museums at Night’ with special offers for those on the museum trail. The town will be sure to have a special vibrant atmosphere on the night so come along and enjoy a really great evening out.

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