Sturminster Newton

Description:

Sturminster Newton market town is located at the junction of the A357 and B3091. It is an attractive town situated in the Blackmore Vale midway between Sherborne and Blandford Forum.  The market dates back to 1272. There are several rivers in the area the largest of which is the River Stour and offers quality fishing.

A 15th century mediaeval bridge, with six arches over the river, still carries the penalty of "Transportation for life" for anyone who damages it. The bridge is the one featured in the poem "On Sturminster Bridge" by Thomas Hardy. Hardy wrote his novel "The return of the native" whilst living in Sturminster Newton in Riverside, a stone mansion on the edge of town.

The town has a museum which is housed in a converted Victorian Chapel in Bath Road. It has been in existence for about ten years and shows displays of local social history from town and the surrounding areas. The museum is open in the Summer season.

On the south side of the town bridge is Sturminster Newton Mill which has been restored to working order in the 1980's and where the public can see the grinding machinery working. The history of Sturminster and its people and industry is shown in the mill. Across the bridge, near the mill and castle are thatched cottages and an old coaching Inn, The Bull.

Market Stalls fill the square on Mondays even though what was the largest calf market in Britain has long since closed. It was demolished in 1998.

The Somerset and Dorset railway ran through the town until 1966 when it was dismantled as part of the Beeching Axe.

Sturminster is a lovely centre from which to explore the surrounding area and there are lovely countryside walks along the riverbank. Some of these pass one or more of the three mill pools. The town has a number of pubs, restaurants and cafes, plus plenty of accommodation for visitors.

An impressive new addition to the town is The Exchange recently completed building with theatre, arts centre, cinema, gallery and meeting rooms. Much care has gone into the design of this delightfully and aesthetically pleasing design.

A  Carnival is held during August. It includes a children's parade, carnival floats, bands and a fancy dress parade, in addition to various other events during the carnival week. The town is also convenient for the Great Dorset Steam Fair at Tarrant Hinton, held in early September each year. This is one of the worlds biggest steam fairs with thousands of exhibits and attractions, including a fun fair. Another event in early September is a must for "foodies". This is the Sturminster Newtown Cheese festival, which is by no means confined to just cheese.

Sturminster Newton is an historic marker town. Much of Sturminster's economy is based on agriculture but it does have a thriving industrial estate. To the west of the town a major new area of land has been earmarked for employment use. In addition, land is available for housing in this Dorset town.