Have you ever heard of the lost medieval hamlet of Elyston? Anne Brown spent over 30 years horse riding and walking dogs across fields near Sydling St Nicholas. She stumbled upon Elyston through mentions of a ‘Deserted Medieval Settlement’ on maps. “It’s not on a public right of way, so I started trying to find […]
A stone carver from Broadoak has won first prize in Melplash Agricultural Society’s rural craft competition. Ben Russell is an award-winning, classically trained sculptor who creates hand-carved, nature-inspired pieces using British stone as well as marble, alabaster and onyx sourced from further afield. Now in its 13th year, the competition was established by past society […]
Dorset Museum & Art Gallery is lending reproductions of items from its PJ Harvey collection for a display at Dorchester Library. The original items were presented to the museum by the Dorset-born singer-songwriter, musician and poet in 2022. The facsimiles being loaned include a copy of Orlam inscribed by the author, typescript proofs with Harvey’s […]
What can 70 metres of embroidered linen tell us about how a kingdom fell? The Dorchester-Bayeux Society has the answer. Retired Lieutenant Colonel James Porter casts a soldier’s eye over the Bayeux Tapestry and the Battle of Hastings. The eminent military historian is giving a talk describing the social and political background situation in England […]
Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes, actress Alison Steadman, Wild Swans author Jung Chang and former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will headline this year’s Dorchester Literary Festival, from October 17-24. The festival will bring together award-winning novelists, historians, broadcasters, politicians, explorers and environmentalists for eight days of conversation, debate and storytelling in The Dorford Centre, Dorchester. The […]
By Kim Berlin I have long been enchanted by that long ribbon of water that lies behind Chesil Beach – The Fleet. The view of it from Abbotsbury Hill is breathtaking and, I would argue, one of the finest landscape views in the world. The combination of Chesil, the Fleet, St Catherine’s Chapel and Portland […]
When Michel and Carine Plissart stumbled across dark shapes embedded in a bed of sandstone while exploring a West Dorset beach, they instantly realised they’d found something unusual that could be Dorset fossils. “We knew it was something of important scientific interest and contacted the Charmouth Fossil Centre straight away,” said Michel. Experts confirmed the […]
A Dorset-born winemaker who grew up in the Bride Valley has founded a new winery. Panu Long was raised in Litton Cheney, went to Colfox School and has family in Bridport. Building on his 26 years of experience in the London drinks industry, this month he has opened Thornfalcon Winery & Press with his wife, […]
A church organist has been playing at the same church on the same instrument every week for more than 70 years. Keith Watts, 88, is thought to be the longest continually-playing church organist in the country, after starting to play at Thomas a Becket Church in Lydlinch aged 15. He has only missed his two […]
We are Bird Media – two experienced journalists who have decided to break free and launch
their own news publication The West Dorset Magazine.
Editor Miranda Robertson has worked for a number of local papers, including the Dorset Echo, Salisbury Journal and The New Blackmore Vale. She lives in Maiden Newton with her husband Peter, son Robert, jug PugsieMfanwy, pug Hugo and the ginger ninja Kitten Mitten.
Karen Bate has worked for the Salisbury Journal, Wiltshire Living Magazine, Bournemouth Echo and The New Blackmore Vale. She lives with husband Stuart, daughter Florence, dogs Sir Alfred Sticks and Buddy and cat Milton. There’s also a bonkers horse called Mars in her menagerie.
