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Compton Abbas, Dorset

Compton Abbas photos

Displaying 1 of 3 old photos of Compton Abbas.   View all Compton Abbas photos

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Compton Abbas maps

Historic maps of Compton Abbas and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis.   View all Compton Abbas maps

Compton Abbas map

Historic map of Compton Abbas

Dorset map

Illustrated Victorian map of Dorset

Compton Abbas map

Historic Map of any Compton Abbas postcode

Compton Abbas maps
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Compton Abbas books

Displaying 3 of 13 books about Compton Abbas and the local area.   View all Compton Abbas books

Weymouth Photographic Memories
Paperback
rrp £13  £10.40

Poole and Sandbanks Photographic Memories
Paperback
rrp £13  £10.40

Dorset Photographic Memories
Paperback
rrp £14  £11.20

Compton Abbas books
View all 13 Compton Abbas and Dorset books

Memories of Compton Abbas

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Dorset memories

The Mount

My great aunt Emilly Still lived in the bungalow in the background and we as children spent many happy summer holidays in Fontmell Magna. She and Tom (who I never knew) are buried in the church graveyard.

I remember travelling from our home in Kent to Fontmell in the winter of 1963 during the worst snow storms in living memory... [more]

Shared on 24 September 2006 by Ian Hills.

A Boarding School second to none

What a dump Iwerne Minster was to a school boy of the 60's sent from London to that boarding school in the middle of nowhere. The locals spoke in a strange unintelligible dialect, the air was sometime thick with the stink of manure, and you had to be 14 to buy beer from the off-licence at Tarrant Hinton! Now, 50+ years... [more]

Shared on 21 May 2008 by Stuart Henley.

Shaftesbury's bad reputation!

Shaftesbury's position high on a hilltop with only a meagre water supply meant that water had to be brought up to the town from wells at the bottom of the steep slopes, usually by horses and donkeys carrying barrels. Water sellers then went round the town's houses selling water by the bucketful. However, Shaftesbury's position at the crossroads of several main... [more]

Shared on 30 June 2008 by Julia Skinner.

Hovis Hill

This is the hill that appeared in the Hovis television adverts - supposedly in a northern town, but in reality in deepest Dorset! At the top it is about 700 feet above sea level. It is now the scene of the once a year Gold Hill Festival in July.

Shared on 08 June 2006 by John Buck.

Stour Row

My family were friends of the Vowles who lived in Green Lane. We stayed with them in 1935, I have a photo of them and me as a baby. My memory is of staying with them in the war years and going to school in the village, I seem to remember carrying a plate  to school each day for my dinner.... [more]

Shared on 14 September 2009 by Ronald Dartnall.

I lived and worked here.

I lived and worked at the manor from Sept 1986 to around May 1988, if anyone remembers me and wants to get in touch please email. j.goodwin007@hotmail.co.uk

Shared on 11 November 2009 by James Goodwin.

Evacuation to Hanford House in war time

My sister and I came to Hanford House with the Wimbledon High School at the beginning of the war. After a year the school returned and the owner of the house, Mrs. Lister, collected a small group of teachers and offered to keep on any children whose parents did not want their children in London. We stayed two further... [more]

Shared on 23 April 2008 by Barbara Thompson.

Before the houses came

I remember these fields before any building was done in this part of the village.
The fields were owned by Mr Fred Bradley and Mr Harry Watts. I can remember going with Mr Watts to see if any cows had calved in the night. At the top of the field there was a large pond that in spring would be full... [more]

Shared on 22 February 2008 by David Moon.

Extracts From Compton Abbas & Dorset books

Displaying a selection of extracts from Frith books about Compton Abbas, inspired by Frith photos.

Sherborne Photographic Memories

Another view of the school buildings, seen from the opposite side. At this time, this site had only been occupied by the school for no more than a year.

This is an extract from Sherborne Photographic Memories.
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Sherborne Photographic Memories

Looking east, we see on the left the businesses of W Warr & Son, hairdressing and chiropody, and Pedley & White, drapers and outfitters. In the distance is Greenham's butchers. Next to this is Frisby's, a well-known shoe chain.

This is an extract from Sherborne Photographic Memories.
Read more and see photos from this book.

Sherborne Photographic Memories

In the 19th century, this road was known as Coldharbour Lane and was built up as the Avenue during the Victorian and Edwardian periods. Hill House, on the left, was built for the Reverend Arthur Field in 1899. In 1978 the grounds were used for building and the development known as Hill House Close was born. At the 'top' end of the Avenue stands Quarry House, built in 1924 for the writer Littleton Powys, designed by his architect brother Albert Powys.... [more]

This is an extract from Sherborne Photographic Memories.
Read more and see photos from this book.

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