Motcombe

Motcombe lies at the edge of the Blackmore Vale in north Dorset, about 2 miles (3 km) north of Shaftesbury. Leave Shaftesbury northwards on the B3081 and the village is about 2 miles on. The parish is one of the largest in Dorset, and the village is one of the longest in the county. At the 2011 census the parish had 1,474 residents and 611 dwellings, and the village sits on Kimmeridge clay beneath hills at the edge of the vale.

The surrounding land was part of Gillingham Forest, a medieval royal hunting ground, and local walks give views over the Blackmore Vale. In 1905 the writer Sir Frederick Treves called Motcombe “a hamlet of gardens at the foot of the hill”, with houses that faced all ways, as if shy of the road.

The parish church is St Mary’s, rebuilt in 1846, although its font dates from Norman times. Motcombe House was built in 1893 in Tudor style within Motcombe Park, the former Grosvenor family estate, and is now the home of Port Regis, a large private preparatory school. A 4.5 mile walk that starts at the village hall passes through the park and climbs to Kingsettle Wood for views over the vale.

The nearest railway station is at Gillingham, although the line itself cuts through the outskirts of the village. Shaftesbury is the closest town, about 2 miles south on the B3081.