Shaftesbury

Set on the side of a hill 700 feet high, Shaftesbury was officially founded in AD 880 by King Alfred who fortified the town and also built an abbey of which his daughter was first Prioress. A hundred years later, the King Edward (Eward the Martyr c962–978) who had been murdered by his stepmother at Corfe Castle was buried here and the abbey became a major centre of pilgrimage. A few remains of Shaftesbury Abbey have survived – they can be seen in the walled garden of the Abbey Museum, a state-of-the-art museum that contains many interesting artefacts excavated from the site.

Shaftesbury is a pleasant town to explore on foot. In fact, you have to walk if you want to see its most famous sight, Gold Hill, a steep, cobbled street, stepped in places and lined with 18th century cottages. Already well known for its picturesque setting and grand views across the Vale of Blackmoor, Gold Hill became even more famous when it was featured in the classic television commercial for Hovis bread. Also located on Gold Hill is the Goldhill Museum & Garden, which vividly evokes the story of this ancient market town.

The 17th century Ox House, which is referred to in Thomas Hardy’s Jude the Obscure, is just one of a number of interesting and historic buildings in the town. Others include the Church of St Peter, the Tudor-style Town Hall dating from the 1820s, and the Grosvenor Hotel, a 400-year-old coaching inn.

Shaftesbury boasts one of the liveliest arts centres in the country, the Shaftesbury Arts Centre which, remarkably, is completely owned by its membership and administered entirely by volunteers. The results of their efforts are anything but amateur, however. The centre’s Drama Group is responsible for several major productions each year, performed in the well-equipped theatre which also serves as a cinema for the centre’s Film Society, screening a dozen or more films during the season. One of the most popular features of the centre is its Gallery which is open daily with a regularly changing variety of exhibitions ranging from paintings, etchings and sculpture, to batiks, stained glass, embroideries and quilting. Entry is free.