Witchampton Explained

Country:England
Coordinates:50.857°N -2.018°W
Official Name:Witchampton
Static Image Name:Witchampton, parish church of St. Mary and St. Cuthburga - geograph.org.uk - 474186.jpg
Static Image Caption:Parish church of St Mary, St Cuthburga & All Saints
Label Position:left
Population:398
Civil Parish:Witchampton
Shire District:East Dorset
Shire County:Dorset
Region:South West England
Constituency Westminster:North Dorset
Post Town:WIMBORNE
Postcode Area:BH
Postcode District:BH21
Dial Code:01258
Os Grid Reference:ST988064

Witchampton is a village and civil parish in East Dorset, England, situated on the River Allen 5miles north of Wimborne Minster. The 2011 census recorded a population of 398.[1]

Witchampton lies close to where the dip slope of the chalk hills of Cranborne Chase is overlain by newer deposits of London Clay. Although Witchampton is sited within the area of the chalk, where cob and thatch are the traditional building materials, the nearness of the clay has resulted in many of the older houses in the village being built from brick.[2] The early 16th-century Abbey House contains some of the earliest brickwork in the county.[3]

To the northeast of the village there used to be a paper mill by the river. In 1980 it was described by writer Roland Gant as a "discreet industrial oasis in an agricultural plain".[4] It had been in operation since the early 18th century, but has now been converted to residential accommodation.[3]

11th-century whalebone chess pieces have been found within the parish, and are some of the best surviving early English chess pieces.[5]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Neighbourhood Statistics. Area: Witchampton (Parish). 6 June 2013. Office for National Statistics.
  2. Book: Portrait of Dorset. Ralph Wightman. Ralph Wightman. 1983. 4. Robert Hale Ltd. 63–64. 0 7090 0844 9.
  3. Web site: Witchampton: Short walk with Clive Hannay. Clive Hannay. September 2012. 24 May 2013. Dorset Life.
  4. Book: Dorset Villages. Roland Gant. 1980. Robert Hale Ltd. 34–5. 0 7091 8135 3.
  5. http://www.goddesschess.com/chessays/goodgame.html Chessays - When There is no End to a Good Game