Shillingstone
| Shillingstone | |
|---|---|
 Gospel Hall and cross, Shillingstone | |
  Shillingstone Location within Dorset | |
| Population | 1,165 (2021) |
| OS grid reference | ST825112 |
| Civil parish |
|
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Blandford Forum |
| Postcode district | DT11 |
| Dialling code | 01258 |
| Police | Dorset |
| Fire | Dorset and Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | http://www.shillingstone.info |
Shillingstone /ˈʃɪlɪŋstən/ is a village and civil parish in the Blackmore Vale area of north Dorset, England, situated on the River Stour between Sturminster Newton and Blandford Forum. In the 2021 census the civil parish had 503 households and a population of 1,165.
South of Shillingstone is a large area of woodland on Okeford and Shillingstone Hill which forms part of Blandford Forest.
History
[edit]Shillingstone features in the Domesday Book of 1086 as a settlement of 46 households, with meadow, woodlands and a mill, under the lordship of Ascelin.[1] Its name is a derivation of Eschelling's (or Ascelin's) town. It once had the tallest maypole in Dorset – 86 feet (26 metres) high.[2] An agricultural community, it specialised in the production of moss.[3]
In the First World War, it earned the title "the bravest village in Britain", because of the high proportion of residents who volunteered to join the armed forces.[3][4] In 1924 the Shillingstone lime works was started to extract lime from the chalk beds at Shillingstone Hill.
Governance
[edit]At the lower tier of local government, Shillingstone has a parish council of nine members which meets monthly to discuss planning applications, maintenance of allotments and the local recreation ground, and other local amenities.[5]
At the upper tier of local government, Shillingstone is in the Dorset unitary district. For elections to Dorset Council it is the most populous parish in the Blackmore Vale electoral ward.
For elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, Shillingstone is in the North Dorset constituency, which is currently represented by the Conservative Simon Hoare.[6]
Demographics
[edit]| Census | Population | Households | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 1,008 | 425 | [7] |
| 2011 | 1,170 | 479 | [8] |
| 2021 | 1,165 | 503 | [9] |
Parish church
[edit]The Church of the Holy Rood is a short distance away from the village and is of 12th-century origin, constructed in banded flint and ashlar masonry.[10] It was enlarged in the 15th century and in the 19th century; George Frederick Bodley added the north aisle. The font is of the 12th century and the pulpit of the 17th.[11] The hymn writer Edward Dayman was appointed rector of Shillingstone in 1842. About 150 metres (490 ft) south of the church is a medieval cross base.[12]
Transport
[edit]Shillingstone railway station still survives intact on the former line of the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway, now part of the North Dorset Trailway.[13] The station is one of the best-preserved on the Somerset and Dorset line since the railway's closure in 1966. It opened on Monday 31 August 1863 and closed just over a century later on Sunday 6 March 1966.
The station is undergoing extensive restoration by the Shillingstone Station Project, supported by the North Dorset Railway Trust.[14] The village also had a light railway serving Shillingstone House, the postwar home of Sir Thomas Salt.[15]
Education
[edit]The village has a primary school, affiliated to the Church of England[16] and is also home to independent special school, The Forum School.[17] Until 31 August 1997, Shillingstone was the location of the now-defunct girls' boarding school, Croft House School. The independent Hanford School is also near the village.
References
[edit]- ^ Shillingstone: Domesday Book http://domesdaymap.co.uk/place/ST8211/shillingstone/
- ^ From The Dorset Village Book, by Harry & Hugh Ashley, published by Countryside Books. http://www.visitoruk.com/historydetail.php?id=29559&cid=592&f=Shaftesbury
- ^ a b Hannay, Clive. "Shillingstone". Dorset Life - The Dorset Magazine. No. March 2012.
- ^ "'Bravest village' crown rekindles war memories". The New Blackmore Vale Magazine. 25 November 2020.
- ^ "Councillors". Shillingstone Parish Council.
- ^ "Dorset North Parliamentary constituency". Election 2024. BBC. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
- ^ "Shillingstone 2001 Census Parish Profile". Archived from the original on 28 September 2011.
- ^ "Area: Shillingstone (Parish). Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
- ^ Shillingstone civil parish (E04003435) in "Table PP002 - Sex", available from "Parish Profiles". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ Hidden Dorset gems http://www.hiddendorset.org/index.php/hd/gem/hd1533.html
- ^ Betjeman, John, ed. (1968) Collins Pocket Guide to English Parish Churches; the South. London: Collins; p. 176
- ^ Historic England. "Medieval cross base 150m south of Holy Rood Church (1013675)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- ^ "The Dorset walk 2 – North Dorset Trailway". Dorset Life. June 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
- ^ Shillingstone Railway Project "How to Find Us". Archived from the original on 23 June 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
- ^ Shillingstone Light Railway http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/grahamallen/Old%20Hardyeans/School%20Dance/School%20Dance%20Part%202/article.pdf
- ^ "Shillingstone Primary School". Shillingstone.dorset.sch.uk. 18 October 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
- ^ The Forum School http://www.cambiangroup.com/specialist_education/schools_and_post-16_provisions_for_autism/the_forum_school
External links
[edit]
Media related to Shillingstone at Wikimedia Commons- Shillingstone Station Project
