Gillingham, Dorset

Gillingham
High Street, Gillingham
Gillingham is located in Dorset
Gillingham
Gillingham
Location within Dorset
Population11,756 (2011)[1]
OS grid referenceST805265
• London98.4 mi (158.4 km) ENE
Civil parish
  • Gillingham
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townGILLINGHAM
Postcode districtSP8
Dialling code01747
PoliceDorset
FireDorset and Wiltshire
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Dorset
51°02′15″N 2°16′29″W / 51.0375°N 2.2748°W / 51.0375; -2.2748

Gillingham (/ˈɡɪlɪŋəm/ GHIL-ing-əm) is a town and civil parish in the Blackmore Vale area of Dorset, England. It lies on the B3095 and B3081 roads, approximately four miles (six kilometres) south of the A303 trunk road and five miles (eight kilometres) northwest of Shaftesbury. It is the most northerly town in the county. In the 2011 census the civil parish had a population of 11,756. The neighbouring hamlets of Peacemarsh, Bay and Wyke have become part of Gillingham as it has expanded.

Gillingham is pronounced with a hard initial "g" (/ɡ/), unlike Gillingham, Kent, which is pronounced with a soft "g" (//).

  1. ^ "Area: Gillingham (Parish), Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2014.