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Badbury Rings
Badbury Rings photos
Displaying the first of 8 old photos of Badbury Rings. View all Badbury Rings photos
Badbury Rings maps
Historic maps of Badbury Rings and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Badbury Rings maps
Badbury Rings area books
Displaying 1 of 18 books about Badbury Rings and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Badbury Rings
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Badbury Rings.
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Wild Orchids Growing at Badbury Rings
Every year I look forward to the Wimborne Folk Festival in June. After two days of busy performances I try to find time on the Sunday afternoon, of my return home, to do some local sightseeing and one of my favourite places to see is Badbury Rings. Now in the care of the National Trust it is well preserved and the size of the circular ditches is amazing - maybe some 40 feet or so. Just think how big these must have been before a couple of thousand years of erosion have taken their toll. Down in the sheltered dips between the rings you can find wild flowers and on my last visit we found orchids.
Dorset memories
My Grandmother
My grandmother Mary Brooks was born in Witchampton in 1857. She probably married my grandfather Joseph Childs in the church there in 1876, from there they went to live at Corscombe. I am wondering whether she had siblings and if any descendants are still in Witchcampton?
Home
I was born in 1 Georgina Cottages. My family have a long history in the village. My first school was just down the hill from where I lived at the time, it is now a large house. In the club where the new shop is was my local to have a drink (I had my first beer there at 17 years old). I played snooker there every Friday night when me and my old man (Dad) went down the club, my playing partners were Jack Chick and Jim Langford, God rest their souls. My dad worked on the farm. That's all at the moment. Any one that knows me, please reply e-mail: christopherblachford@hotmail
Mary Pouncy
I once bought an old book dated 1795 entitled "The Pocket Magazine", which had several signatures on early pages of the owner: "Mary Pouncy Rushton". Interested in learning more about her I sought her birth, marriage, death etc details in all the "Rushtons" I could discover: no luck. The book went into the roof. The other day I came upon it again and this time searched every page. A few pages in was a different clue "Mary Pouncy Fordington". As a Thomas Hardy fan I went straight to the Dorset records and found Mary's birth, in Dorchester on 29 June 1780, daughter of Thomas and Mary Pouncy. A further search shows that she died unmarried at the age of 24 in Dewlish. Very little more research uncovered the mystery of "Rushton". If Mary had the book new, she must have lived in Tarrant Rushton during 1795-1800 or so and been quite well-to-do since she was literate when few were. Perhaps somebody could guess... Read more
Crichel House During The War Years
Dumpton House (Preparatory) School was evacuated to Crichel during the Second World War from Broadstairs in Kent. My older brother (Paul Cremer) was already at the school and due to the war my parents sent me (Jonathan Cremer) to the school at Crichel House in May 1940 when I was only seven years old. I loved Crichel. Everything about it seemed magical to me as a 7-year-old - the house itself, the village, the lake with its quaint boathouse and swans' nests, the beautiful cedar trees with their very special smell, the grass tennis court with all the sweet smelling camomile flowers on the grassy banks surrounding it, the crystal-clear stream with all its wonderful watercress, the dining hall with its enormous chandelier, the wonderful portico where we did PE, the beautiful Italian Garden so good for relay races, the unbelievably squalid 'ink room' in the basement, the fantastically beautiful and elaborately decorated lavatories with seats 4-feet wide, the majestically long gallery on the top floor, the sumptuously red-carpeted... Read more
School Days
Dumpton School had moved to Crichel from Broadstairs in Kent on the outbreak of the Second Wolrd War. I have vivid memories of my time as a schoolboy at Crichel, attending Chapel, rambling in the grounds, swimming in the large round canvas fire tank, lots of cricket and of course the wonderful interior of the house itself. We ate in a large dining room and slept in large rooms on the first floor. I recall overlooking the beautiful Italian gardens to the side of the house facing towards the huge lake. The sight of the geese and swans coming in to land was magical. I remember the air raids and having to go down into the basement. I was slippered for running. Many years later I returned to Crichel and was allowed to pick up for Toby Martin. Shortly after the end of the war Dumpton moved to Gaunts House near Wimborne and the girls school Cranborne Chase moved in.
Orphanage
I was looked after by a lovely lady called Sister (Enid) Butler who took in unwanted children until they were re- homed either by fostering or adoption (this was me).
There was a young lad there called Peter who allegedly set fire to the original building with a cigarette end. I was adopted in about 1962 by a family who lived in Kent, and had a happy childhood all bar the bullying at school which I dealt with. I think there was also another lady known to me as Sister Edenbridge. Sadly both these ladies are now deceased. I am trying to trace my biological mother and family in order to understand what went wrong and also to discover my medical history so that I can tell my children that the illnesses I suffer with may be something they will end up with.
I remember for some reason being lined up with all the other children in a row on our potties after being fed, and playing in the garden,... Read more
