A report on Blandford Forum and Dorset Downs

Blandford originated at a fording point over the River Stour
The top of the downs from above Cerne Abbas, looking south east towards the River Piddle valley
Plan showing the extent of damage of the 1731 fire; the properties shaded black were destroyed, those shaded yellow survived.
Map of Dorset, including the Dorset Downs, showing the geology
Blandford Forum Town Hall, rebuilt in 1734
Blandford Cemetery, one of the responsibilities of the Town Council
The Stour Valley immediately north of the town; much of the countryside around Blandford is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Church of St. Peter and St. Paul
Pump House fire monument
Bridge over the River Stour
Blandford Heights industrial estate on the northern edge of the town
Former Somerset and Dorset railway bridge at Blandford Forum. Following closure of the line, the span over the river (right) was demolished, and the earth embankment on the left was reused for nearby flood defence work, leaving it as a bridge to nowhere.
Blandford Town Museum
Blandford Bowls Club
Woodhouse Gardens
Blandford Elm, Edinburgh (2016)

On the east, the Downs were once, thousands of years ago, continuous with Cranborne Chase, but the River Stour now cuts a valley between them, which is the location of Blandford Forum and the eastern boundary of the downs.

- Dorset Downs

Blandford is situated between Cranborne Chase and the Dorset Downs, to the south-east of the Blackmore Vale, 13 mi northwest of Poole and 22 mi southwest of Salisbury.

- Blandford Forum
Blandford originated at a fording point over the River Stour

3 related topics with Alpha

Overall

River Stour, Dorset

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61 mi river which flows through Wiltshire and Dorset in southern England, and drains into the English Channel.

61 mi river which flows through Wiltshire and Dorset in southern England, and drains into the English Channel.

At Blandford Forum the river breaks through the chalk ridge of the Dorset Downs, and from there flows south east into the heathlands of south east Dorset.

Corfe Castle, captured and destroyed by Cromwell's army in 1646

Dorset

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County in South West England on the English Channel coast.

County in South West England on the English Channel coast.

Corfe Castle, captured and destroyed by Cromwell's army in 1646
Geological map of Dorset
Durdle Door, a natural arch near Lulworth Cove
The beach near Bournemouth Pier. Dorset's coastline is a major attraction for tourists.
The Keep Military Museum in Dorchester
Traction engines on display at the Great Dorset Steam Fair
Thomas Hardy
Sherborne Abbey

Blandford Forum, Sherborne, Gillingham, Shaftesbury and Sturminster Newton are historic market towns which serve the farms and villages of the Blackmore Vale in north Dorset.

These limestone areas include a wide band of Cretaceous chalk which crosses the county as a range of hills from north-east to south-west, incorporating Cranborne Chase and the Dorset Downs, and a narrow band running from south-west to south-east, incorporating the Purbeck Hills.

View from Hambledon Hill overlooking Child Okeford and Blackmore Vale

Blackmore Vale

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Vale, or wide valley, in north Dorset, and to a lesser extent south Somerset and southwest Wiltshire in southern England.

Vale, or wide valley, in north Dorset, and to a lesser extent south Somerset and southwest Wiltshire in southern England.

View from Hambledon Hill overlooking Child Okeford and Blackmore Vale
Sturminster Newton watermill

To the south and east, the vale is clearly delimited by the steep escarpments of two areas of higher chalk downland, the Dorset Downs to the south, and Cranborne Chase to the east.

The River Stour flows out of the vale at Blandford Forum in the southeast, a town sandwiched between the Dorset Downs and Cranborne Chase.