Dorchester, Dorset

Dorchester
Town Pump and Municipal Buildings
Image: 150 pixels
Coat of arms of Dorchester
Dorchester is located in Dorset
Dorchester
Dorchester
Location within Dorset
Population21,366 (2021 Census)[1]
OS grid referenceSY690906
• London116 miles (187 km) NE
Civil parish
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townDORCHESTER
Postcode districtDT1
Dialling code01305
PoliceDorset
FireDorset and Wiltshire
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
WebsiteDorchester Town Council
List of places
UK
England
Dorset
50°42′55″N 2°26′12″W / 50.7154°N 2.4367°W / 50.7154; -2.4367

Dorchester (/ˈdɔːrɛstər/ DOR-ches-tər) is the county town of Dorset, England. It is situated between Poole and Bridport on the A35 trunk route. A historic market town, Dorchester is on the banks of the River Frome to the south of the Dorset Downs and north of the South Dorset Ridgeway that separates the area from Weymouth, 7 miles (11 km) to the south. The civil parish includes the experimental community of Poundbury and the suburb of Fordington.

The area around the town was first settled in prehistoric times. The Romans established a garrison there after defeating the Durotriges tribe, calling the settlement that grew up nearby Durnovaria; they built an aqueduct to supply water and an amphitheatre on an ancient British earthwork. During the medieval period Dorchester became an important commercial and political centre. It was the site of the "Bloody Assizes" presided over by Judge Jeffreys after the Monmouth Rebellion, and later the trial of the Tolpuddle Martyrs. As well as having many listed buildings, a number of notable people have been associated with the town. It was for many years the home and inspiration of the author Thomas Hardy, whose novel The Mayor of Casterbridge uses a fictionalised Dorchester as its setting.

In the 2011 census, the population of Dorchester was 19,060. It is a centre for employment, education, retail, leisure and healthcare for the surrounding area, with six industrial estates, the Dorset County Hospital, a weekly market, and a high school and further education college. The town has a football club and a rugby union club, several museums and the biannual Dorchester Festival.

  1. ^ "Dorchester". City population. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  2. ^ "Dorchester Town Council Home Page". Archived from the original on 1 June 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2021.