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Dorchester Attractions
Listed below are attractions in Dorchester:
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Dorchester is a popular destination with many things to do. You can visit the Dinosaur Museum, which contains both real skeletons and reconstructions, or see the hundreds of bears at the Dorset Teddy Bear Museum. There’s also the Kingston Maurward Gardens and Animal Park, which is home to a variety of plant and animal life.
 
 
 
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Athelhampton House & Gardens
Athelhampton is one of the finest 15th century manor houses and is surrounded by one of the great architectural gardens of England. The house contains many finely furnished rooms including The Great Hall, Great Chamber, Wine Cellar and newly open...
 
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BAFRA Museum
The British Antique Restorers Association has been based in Dorchester for many years and it is quite fitting that this is a town that is simply filled with aging and charming buildings and contents. The association has a small...
 
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  Latest Dorchester Review

  Roman remains are everything I discovered in Dorchester. There are walls, houses and large meeting places that are in superb states of preservation. Whilst I don't profess to know much about the Roman Empire, these sites enthralled my kids with tales of gladiators, slaves and emperors. Modern day Dorchester, does have a bit of a problem with traffic, like almost every other town in the country and car parking is somewhat limited, but the town itself is a fascinating mix of ancient and the modern. My family and I...   Read full review ] - JA_1970
 
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Borough Gardens
On 30th July 1896 the formal gardens that today are known as the Borough Gardens in Dorchester were laid out by William Goldring. Goldring was a member of the famous gardeners at Kew Gardens in London and much of what...
 
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Borough Gardens Bandstand
Queen Victoria was a well known lover of music and it therefore seemed appropriate that the historic bandstand set within Dorchesters Borough Gardens be dedicated to the Queen on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee by the local MP at...
 
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Borough Gardens Clocktower
Set within the beautiful surroundings of Borough Gardens in the Dorset market town of Dorchester is a truly wonderful and striking tower and clock. The splendidly ornate tower was presented to the Borough of Dorchester by local businessman Charles Mansford...
 
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Dinosaur Museum
The only museum on mainland Britain dedicated to dinosaurs, the award-winning Dinosaur Museum is a treat, especially for children. The museum combines life-sized reconstructions of dinosaurs with fossils and skeletons to create an exciting hands-on experience. Multimedia displays tell the...
 
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Dorchester Baptist Church
Like any major town Dorchester in Dorset has a large number and variety of churches, including Dorchester Baptist Church. The church is located on Bridport Road in the town and offers the faithful a place to practice their religion. In...
 
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Dorchester Community Church
Dorchester Community Church is conveniently located near to Tudor Shopping Arcade with its plentiful car parking spaces. The church was founded in 1887 as a Christian Brethren Assembly under the evangelist Ephraim Venn. In the 1970s the church became an...
 
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Dorchester Library
Dorchester library is located centrally in the town and close to the main council offices. In addition to the traditional role of lending a huge variety of books for all ages the library has in recent years been transformed with...
 
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Dorchester Roman Walls
Dorchester was founded by the Romans who built large solid walls to defend their town, which was given the name of Durnovaria, and the last surviving fragment of these defences can be found near to the top of High West...
 
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Dorset County Museum
Dorset County Museum celebrates the rich and diverse history of the southern English county, and has its home in one of the prettiest and most visited towns in the region, Dorchester. The collection is made up of many sections...
 
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Garden Bowls Club
At one end of the wonderful Borough Gardens park in Dorchester visitors can find The Gardens Bowls Club. The club has been in existence for many decades and throughout the summer months between April and September the gentle and relaxing...
 
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Hardy's Cottage
This beautiful cottage in the stunning Dorset countryside was the home of Thomas Hardy until he was thirty-four years of age. It is the place where he wrote many of his most famous novels, including Far from the Madding...
 
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Holy Trinity Church
A walk down Dorchester’s High West Street will reveal at least four places of worship, one of which is Holy Trinity Church. The church was built in the 19th Century and is amongst the newest churches in the Dorset town,...
 
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Keep Military Museum
This extensive museum is housed over four floors, representing the honour and traditions of several regiments, including the Devonshire and Dorset and the Yeomanry of Devonshire. The grade II listed keep was built in 1879, and is one of...
 
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Kingston Maurward Gardens
Kingston Maurward House was built in 1720 with the gardens being laid out in the style of popularised by Capability Brown; they consist of a matrix of small gardens, tree trails, lakeside walks and a walled garden. The animal park...
 
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Maiden Castle
This is the best-preserved and most attractive Iron Age hill fort anywhere in Europe, and is a popular attraction in this area of the country. At its peak, the area would have been home to around two hundred families,...
 
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Max Gate
Located in Dorchester, Max Gate is the former home of world-famous author Thomas Hardy who lived at the property from 1885 until his death in 1928. He wrote many of his most famous novels in this house including Tess...
 
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Old Crown Court and Cells
Experience over 200 years of gruesome crime and punishment in a setting little changed over the years. Stand in the dock and sit in the creepy cells where prisoners waited for their appearance before the judge. The Old Crown Court...
 
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Puddletown Forest
Everywhere around Dorchester and the surrounding countryside has a link to life and works of the author Thomas Hardy, in the case of Puddletown Forest, it was the setting of his fictional Egdon Heath. The forest surrounds the small village...
 
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Roman Town House
During an excavation in the 1930s, workers constructing a new building stumbled on the remains of a Roman Town House in the town of Dorchester in Dorset. Work stopped immediately as archaeologists assessed the significance of the unearthed 4th Century...
 
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St Peter's Church
Towering high over the countryside at Dorchester is the tower of St Peter’s Church. Inside there are many reminders of Norman architecture with many characteristic arches and doorways. In 1420 King Henry V left 20 marks to rebuild the body...
 
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Teddy Bear Museum
The Teddy Bear Museum is a popular attraction with all ages, as after all, everyone at some point in their life has owned a Teddy Bear. The museum brings together one of the largest collections of stuffed bears that...
 
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Thomas Hardy Statue
The noted author Thomas Hardy loved the countryside around Dorchester and he set many of most famous tales in the area and it is right that a statue of the man is situated in the heart of the town he...
 
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Tolpuddle Martyrs Museum
One dawn, in the bitter February of 1834, six Tolpuddle farm labourers were arrested after forming a trade union. A frightened squire’s trumped up charges triggered one of the most celebrated stories in the history of human rights. That...
 
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Tudor Arcade
Fans of shopping or browsing for bargains, should head to Tudor Arcade in Dorchester. Tudor Arcade is a modern, vibrant and exciting shopping centre right in the heart of the historic Dorset market town. The arcade encloses over forty five...
 
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Tutankhamun Exhibition
Experience the magnificence and wonder of the world’s greatest discovery of ancient treasure. Be there at the discovery, explore the ante-chamber and the burial chamber filled with their treasures. Marvel at the superb facsimiles of some of Tutankhamun’s greatest golden...
 
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United Church
The United Church in Dorchester is a welcoming church located towards one end of the busy main shopping centre. The church is housed in one of the many historic buildings doted around the town of Dorchester which was first founded...
 
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War Memorial
The Dorset town of Dorchester like so many towns and villages across the United Kingdom suffered a great deal of loss during World War One and to honour the sacrifice of the brave men who went to war a War...
 
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William Barnes Statue
William Barnes was a dialect poet and his association with the Dorset town of Dorchester is well known and it is here that a life size statue of the man was erected directly outside St Peter’s Church. Barnes lived...
 
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Any distances shown here are a guide only based on general road information.

 
     
  Dorchester Reviews  
 
 
 
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If you are a fan of Thomas Hardy like me, then Dorchester in Dorset should definitely be on your list of place to visit. Not only was this market town on the River Frome his home, but it was also the inspiration for a number of his novels, most notably Tess of the d'Urbervilles and The Mayor of Casterbridge which were both based on the town. Max Gate was Hardy's home in the town and today it is owned by the National Trust and open to the public. Dorchester is also home to a number of interesting, non-Hardy-related museums which are worth visiting, including The Dinosaur Museum, the Dorset Teddy Bear Museum and the Dorset County Museum   - Dave

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