West Dorset
Former non-metropolitan district in England From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
West Dorset was a local government district in Dorset, England. The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, and was a merger of the boroughs of Bridport, Dorchester and Lyme Regis, along with Sherborne urban district and the rural districts of Beaminster, Bridport, Dorchester and Sherborne. Its council was based in Dorchester.
West Dorset District | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms | |
 West Dorset shown within Dorset | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | South West England |
| Non-metropolitan county | Dorset |
| Status | Abolished |
| Admin HQ | Dorchester |
| Incorporated | 1 April 1974 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Non-metropolitan district council |
| • Body | West Dorset District Council |
| • Leadership | Leader & Cabinet ( ) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 417.6 sq mi (1,081.5 km2) |
| Population (2017) | |
| • Total | 102,100 |
| • Density | 240/sq mi (94/km2) |
| • Ethnicity | 98.7% White |
| Time zone | UTC0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
| ONS code | 19UH (ONS) E07000052 (GSS) |
| OS grid reference | SY5785299047 |
| Website | www |
The district and its council were abolished on 1 April 2019 and, together with the other four districts outside the greater Bournemouth area, replaced by a new Dorset unitary authority.[1]
 |
At the 2001 census, West Dorset registered a population of 92,350. The population structure reflected the rural nature of the district. The area was a popular retirement area which also exported young people due to the lack of career options. This was reflected in the age structure, with 12.3% of the population over 75, compared to 7.5% in the whole of England; 51.7% were between 15 and 59, compared to 59.1% in England. 34.4% of dwellings were pensioner households, compared to 23.8% in England.
The district was an example of the low ethnic minority populations in rural areas, with 96.7% white British ethnicity, compared to 87.0% in England.
The district had a high level of car ownership, at 83.1% of households compared to 73.2% in England.
Almost all of the West Dorset area fell within the West Dorset constituency; a small part was in South Dorset.
The main settlements in West Dorset were Dorchester, Sherborne and Bridport. Dorchester, in the south of the district, is the county town of Dorset and has been an important settlement since Roman times. Sherborne, in the north, is an important market town which was, for a time, the capital of Wessex. Bridport, in the west, is popular with tourists visiting the Jurassic Coast, as is the smaller coastal town of Lyme Regis at the county border with Devon.
- Settlements with a population over 2,500 are in bold.
- Abbotsbury, Allington, Alton Pancras, Askerwell
- Batcombe, Beaminster, Beer Hackett, Bettiscombe, Bincombe, Bishops Caundle, Bothenhampton, Bradford Abbas, Bradford Peverell, Bradpole, Bridport, Broadoak, Broadwindsor, Buckland Newton, Burstock, Burton Bradstock
- Castleton, Cattistock, Caundle Marsh, Cerne Abbas, Charminster, Charmouth, Chedington, Cheselbourne, Chetnole, Chickerell, Chideock, Chilfrome, Clifton Maybank, Compton Valence, Corscombe, Crossways
- Dewlish, Dorchester
- Evershot
- Fleet, Folke, Frampton, Frome St Quintin, Frome Vauchurch
- Godmanstone
- Halstock, Hermitage, Hilfield, Holnest, Holwell, Hooke
- Langton Herring, Leigh, Lillington, Littlebredy, Litton Cheney, Loders, Long Bredy, Longburton, Lyme Regis
- Maiden Newton, Marshwood, Melbury Bubb, Melbury Osmond, Melcombe Horsey, Minterne Magna, Mosterton
- Netherbury, Nether Compton
- Oborne, Osmington, Over Compton, Owermoigne
- Piddlehinton, Piddletrenthide, Portesham, Poundbury, Powerstock, Poyntington, Puddletown, Puncknowle, Purse Caundle, Pymore
- Rampisham, Ryme Intrinseca
- Sandford Orcas, Seaborough, Sherborne, Shipton Gorge, South Perrott, Stanton St Gabriel, Stinsford, Stoke Abbott, Stratton, Swyre, Sydling St Nicholas, Symondsbury
- Thorncombe, Thornford, Tincleton, Toller Porcorum, Tolpuddle, Trent
- Warmwell, West Bexington, West Knighton, West Stafford, Whitchurch Canonicorum, Winterborne Monkton, Winterborne St Martin, Winterbourne Abbas, Winterbourne Steepleton, Woodbridge, Woodsford, Wootton Fitzpaine, Wraxall
- Yetminster
Wikiwand in your browser!
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
