July 9, 2026
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The West Dorset Magazine Articles by: Emily Quance
"Villagers in high-vis vests form a bucket chain during a re-enactment demonstrating historic firefighting methods, held to campaign against Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue station closures
News

Victory as all 8 ‘at risk’ Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue stations kept open

All eight on call fire stations threatened with closure are to stay open – for now. Andy Cole, chief fire officer for Dorset

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Group of BKC Racing drivers and team members celebrating with trophies in front of a BKC Racing van at Clay Pigeon Raceway.
News Sport

‘Sad day for motorsport’ as Clay Pigeon Raceway loses fight against 226 holiday lodges

Clay Pigeon Raceway, the West Dorset karting track which helped to launch the careers of world champions Lando Norris and Jensen Button, is

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Cartoon illustration titled 'Hardy's Heart' by Lyndon Wall, showing a giant arm labelled Norchester crushing Thomas Hardy's heart from his Stinsford grave, with a bulldozer looming over the town and a Betjeman quote about Hardy's heart flying over the elm trees.
News

Flood chaos fear as developers unveil plans for first 500 Norchester homes

The first planning application of a scheme dubbed ‘Norchester’ that will change the shape of ‘Hardy country’ forever has been submitted. The outline

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Black and white photograph from March 1941 showing three people standing together outdoors near the coast. A young woman stands on the left wearing a dark coat over a blouse, her hair styled in soft waves typical of the era. In the centre, a man in uniform, likely William Paul Tizzard, stands smartly dressed in military uniform with a cap, hands by his sides. To the right, another man in similar military uniform stands slightly behind, also wearing a cap. The group stands on a grassy verge with a low wall or embankment behind them, and a hazy view of the sea or coastline visible in the background, suggesting a wartime photograph taken near the Weymouth coast before deployment.
News

Writer tracks down heartbreaking stories behind 43 names on Weymouth war memorial

A writer has traced the stories behind 43 names listed on a Weymouth war memorial. Charlie Owen asked readers of The West Dorset

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Parnham House, a Grade I-listed Elizabethan manor near Beaminster, built from honey-coloured Ham stone with a steeply pitched slate roof, tall clustered chimney stacks, and a stepped, gabled facade. Tall mullioned and leaded windows line the front, including a large bay window. The lower facade is draped in mature purple wisteria in full bloom, cascading over a stone balustraded terrace, with clipped yew topiary along the front and taller trees framing the building on either side. The sky is overcast and white.
News

“The nimbys think I’m the Antichrist”: Parnham House owner hits back in row over 82 homes plan

A developer hoping to build 82 homes on 21 acres of his 131-acre estate has told a national newspaper he is being treated

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A pile of freshly baked smoked salmon and samphire scones stacked on a white plate, made using this savoury scones recipe. The scones are golden-brown on top, scattered with black and white sesame seeds and crispy onion pieces, with flecks of green samphire and pale pink salmon visible through the crumbly dough. The savoury scones are well risen with rough, craggy edges, and the plate sits on a dark kitchen worktop. The photograph shows the finished savoury scones recipe ready to be served, perfect for a summer picnic with a generous spread of cream cheese.
Vittles

How to make delicious savoury scones recipe with salmon and samphire in 15 minutes

KAREN BROAD shares her savoury scones recipe The field above us has been cut, and the scent of drying grass hangs heavy in the

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A black and white archive photograph of Portland Fair showing two women laughing on the dodgems. The woman driving has dark curled hair and dangling earrings, her mouth open mid-laugh as she grips the white steering wheel, while her blonde companion smiles beside her. Behind them, a fairground worker in a dark shirt steps between the bumper cars, and children can be seen riding in other cars across the rink. A man walks past the painted boards at the edge of the ride, with strings of lights and fairground signage visible above. The photograph captures the joy and atmosphere of the much-missed fair, held in Chiswell every November 5 for more than 200 years until it ended in 2001.
Culture

Portland Fair brought back to life as b-side festival reveals 2026 line-up

The ghosts of Portland Fair are to be evoked as the island’s b-side festival returns this September. The annual celebration of creativity is

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Three volunteers work on the steep grassy hillside of the Cerne Abbas Giant on a sunny day, re-chalking sections of the figure's outline. The chalk lines curve and wind across the slope in pale channels cut into the grass. On the left, a volunteer in a red top and wide-brimmed sun hat digs with a long-handled tool, while in the centre a man in a blue cap and grey top crouches beside a white sack of chalk. On the right, a woman in a dark top bends over the outline with a hand tool. Behind them, the Dorset countryside stretches out in a patchwork of green crop fields and mature trees under bright sunshine.
News

Re-chalking of Cerne Abbas Giant underway with 17 tonnes of Dorset chalk

For hundreds of years, he’s been standing proud, waving his enormous club whilst keeping watch over the sleepy village at his feet. Now,

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Aerial drone photograph of St Juthware Church in Halstock, showing the damaged roof from above. The church is built of weathered grey and honey-coloured stone, with a sturdy 15th-century tower on the left topped with battlements and a flagpole. A large section of the main roof's stone tiles has been covered with a bright blue tarpaulin, held down by a criss-cross frame of wooden battens, marking where rainwater has been getting in. Metal scaffolding with wooden walkways has been erected along the right side of the building, with stacks of tiles resting on the platforms. A small porch with a pale blue door sits at the front of the church, and one window below the roofline has been boarded over. The church is surrounded by green grass, with rows of headstones visible in the churchyard at the top right, and trees and hedgerows enclosing the scene. The image captures both the beauty of the historic building and the scale of the repair work needed.
News

Race to save historic St Juthware Church in Halstock as huge hole opens in roof

By MARY CLEGG, Churchwarden: Tucked away in the timeless landscape of the Halstock Vale stands St Juthware Church, a small rural church with

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Sherborne House, a grand three-storey Georgian mansion built from golden hamstone, photographed front-on under a bright blue sky with wispy white clouds. The symmetrical facade features three rows of tall white sash windows with small square panes, each framed in honey-coloured stone surrounds. A central white double door sits beneath an ornate curved stone canopy with a lantern hanging inside it, and directly above is a striking full-height arched window with a carved triangular pediment. The roofline is crowned with a stone balustrade and a central pediment. A pale stone path leads to the entrance between two neat lawns, with small clipped shrubs lining the front of the building and a sculptural metal bird artwork just visible to the right
News

Sherborne House: £15 million transformation reveals 18th century masterpiece

In Sherborne, two buildings stand as testament to what happens when history is lovingly conserved – and when it isn’t. The fortunes of

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