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About the County of Dorset
(For a list of all the prime country estate properties sold in
Dorset recently, scroll down to the bottom of this page)
Sandbanks, Poole, Charmouth, Weymouth, Dorchester, Wimborne, Colehill,
Wareham, Swanage, Studland, Lulworth, Burton Bradstock, Sherborne,
Beaminster and Bournemouth Areas of Dorset.
Dorset divides into three separate
areas. To the north of the county you have an area from Shaftesbury
across to Sherborne in the Blackmore Vale, downland of Cranborne
Chase. In the south-east there is the more urban area around Bournemouth
and Poole. To the west, along the coast through Dorchester and
Bridport, is the very rural area of West Dorset.
The transport to North Dorset is quite good.
Shaftesbury is about 2 hours from London by the M3 and A303 and
the line operated by South West trains through Salisbury is quite
accessible via Waterloo, though it is not a fast train with the
line from Salisbury to Yeovil Junction being single track for
some sections.
The area around Bournemouth is considerably
better served by rail and road with fast trains via Southampton
and the M3 and M27 motorways.
West Dorset is a 3 hour drive from London and
with poor roads once you get off the M27 or the A303. The trains
are slow and journey times about the same as for driving.
North Dorset is now a popular area for weekenders
and for those now able to use technology to work at home one or
more days a week. The combination of reasonable transport and
beautiful countryside has forced prices up rapidly over the last
few years. Particularly popular is Cranborne Chase and Shaftesbury
as well as the very pretty country around Sherborne. The Blackmore
Vale tends to be slightly less popular as there are fewer quality
houses and some of the countryside is quite flat. Having said
that, there is strong demand for good farmhouses in that area.
From a country house market point of view, south-east
Dorset is rather too urbanised to be very popular. Bournemouth
and Poole are sprawling urban areas with everything that goes
with it. There is an ever increasing cosmopolitan feel to Sandbanks
and the adjoining areas of Branksome Park, Canford Cliffs and
Lilliput as awareness increases of the improved lifestyle that
can be achieved through living here. Much of the countryside has
some of the characteristics of the New Forest to the east –
heathland with acidic soil.
West Dorset is one of the most rural areas of
southern England. There are no major roads, railway lines or airports
and no commercial centre of any size. The coast is very beautiful
from the Isle of Purbeck westwards but, like most beauty spots,
it tends to be affected by tourists in the summer months. The
countryside inland is lovely, with pretty villages and relatively
undisturbed local life – the limited transport to and from
London keeping prices down and commuters away.
Dorset has a wide range of country houses, and the peace of the
place appeals to many families, not least because of the quality
of schooling available.
There are no motorways in Dorset, as residents are fond of saying,
and a large proportion of the county is made up of designated
areas of outstanding beauty. No wonder people from London and
the increasingly overstretched home counties are looking south
and west.
Dorset is satisfyingly remote for many, but
at the same time a more reasonable journey to the capital, making
it all the more attractive to those who still maintain links to
London.
The main towns are Sherborne, Wimborne and Dorchester,
although most of the county, and its character, is to made up
of innumerable villages and small towns which are peppered throughout
the landscape.
Dorset can be divided into three areas: the
vales of the west and north-west; the chalk uplands of the centre;
and the marshes of the east and south-east. The coast, along the
English Channel, has spectacular sights such as Lulworth Cove
and Portland Bill.
Many families have lived in Dorset for generations,
and the Elizabethan manor houses for which the county is famous
are rare and expensive. There are, however, many good manor houses,
old rectories and farmhouses to be found, particularly in the
north and west.
Building stone is abundant and good, and includes
Portland stone and Purbeck stone to the south of the county. The
most expensive houses in Dorset are in Bournemouth and Poole,
particularly on the Sandbanks Peninsula in Poole Harbour. Sea
Views are always a bonus.
However, prices throughout the county are generally
high, as roads and trains to London are fairly good; the same
effect is seen to the north of the county, close to the A303.
Further west prices were lower, but now compete with the rest
of the county, and houses in or near towns and villages such as
Sherborne and Cerne Abbas still command a premium.
Simon Jones from Savills in Wimbourne says:
Things have changed a little bit in Dorset, but there are still
good houses coming onto the market. A pretty house in a good location
will always be popular. Prices have come down a little bit on
last year, but for the right property, prices are still very competitive.'
In the West, Beaminster and Sherborne are popular,
as is the stretch between Wimborne and Salisbury and Shaftsbury
as well.
Many houses are being bought as main residences
for families where the father works in London while the mother
stays in the county during the week, keeping on a house in the
capital which they later sell to look for a farmhouse in the county.
One of the reasons it is so popular with families
is that schooling in Dorset is well known for being at an extremely
high standard.
'Demand for good country houses has increased
amongst people who can work from home, or only need to be on London
for a couple of days a week,' continues Mr Jones. 'And this combined
with the second homes market and the growing retirement market
led to rocketing prices between 2003-2004.
'These high prices have been tempered slightly
by the overall market performance this year, but a good house
in the right place will still command a high price. Nearby roads,
though, can be a huge disincentive – when people move to
an area for peace and quiet, road noise puts people off considerably,'
he continued.
Simon Barker from Knight Frank added: 'In my
opinion prices have not fallen but they have hardened. We did
have a pretty good rise before this though, and what you see here
is only what you will see in the rest of the country.
'There is absolutely no question that there
is still very good demand for a decent house properly priced,'
he stresses.
Charlie Bladon from Jackson-Stops & Staff
in Sherborne agrees: 'The key when selling is to get the price
right. There are less buyers but the ones who are looking are
extremely serious, which is unusual for this time of year when
normally we have a lot of prospective buyers just looking around,
not set on a purchase.'
Major towns
Dorchester, Weymouth, Poole, Bournemouth, Christchurch,
Blandford Forum, Sherborne, Beaminster, Bridport, Lyme Regis,
Shaftesbury.
Transport links
Train: Waterloo to Bournemouth 1hr 40min; Waterloo
to Sherborne, 2hr.
Car: Bournemouth is 110 miles from central London,
via the M3; Sherborne, 125 miles, via the M3 and A303.
Public schools
Bryanston School, Blandford Forum (01258 452411).
Co-educational, age range 13-18, day and boarding. www.bryanston.co.uk
Clayesmore School, Iwerne Minster (01747 812122). Co-educational,
age range 13-18, day and boarding. Associated preparatory school.
www.clayesmore.net
Milton Abbey School, Blandford Forum (01258 880484). Boys only,
age range 13-18, day and boarding. www.miltonabbey.co.uk
Talbot Heath, Bournemouth (01202 761881). Girls only, age range
3-18, day and boarding. www.talbotheath.org
Sherborne School (01935 812249). Boys only, age range 13-18, boarding.
Associated preparatory school. www.sherborne.org
Sherborne School for Girls (01935 812245). Girls only, age range
12-18, day and boarding. www.sherborne.com
Canford School, Wimborne (01202 841254). Co- educational, age
range 13-18, day and boarding. www.canford.com
Leisure
Golf courses: Came Down, Dorchester (01305 812531);
Isle of Purbeck, Studland (01929 450361); Lyme Regis (01297 442963);
Sherborne, (01935 812 475)
Yacht clubs: the Lilliput Sailing Club, Poole;
the Parkstone Yacht Club, Poole; Poole Harbour Yacht Club; the
Royal Dorset Yacht Club, Weymouth.
Hunts: the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale, the
Portman, the Cattistock and the South Dorset.
Fishing: rivers Frome, Piddle and Stour.
THE BEST DORSET COUNTRY HOUSES FOR
SALE IN 2004
(A breakdown of what was for sale & purchase prices)
Chedington Court, near Beaminster (Grade II Jacobean mansion,
17.78 acres): £7.175m
Country Life - June 2005
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