Compton Abbas

Compton Abbas is a village and civil parish in north Dorset, England. It lies 3 miles (5 kilometres) south of the town of Shaftesbury. It is sited on greensand strata on the edge of the Blackmore Vale,^[2] below the chalk downs of Cranborne Chase. On top of these hills is Compton Abbas Airfield. The A350 road between Wiltshire and the south coast passes through the village. In the 2011 census the civil parish had a population of 216.^[1] The name Compton Abbas derives from the Saxon "cumb-ton", meaning 'village in a narrow valley', plus "abbas" which refers to Shaftesbury Abbey (the land was owned by the abbess). The church, St. Mary's, was built in 1866 to replace the older structure which was more remote from the village.

Compton Abbas
St Mary's Church, Compton Abbas
Compton Abbas Location within Dorset
Population	216 (2011)[1]
OS grid reference	ST869184
Civil parish	Compton Abbas
Unitary authority	Dorset
Ceremonial county	Dorset
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	SHAFTESBURY
Postcode district	SP7
Dialling code	01747
Police	Dorset
Fire	Dorset and Wiltshire
Ambulance	South Western
UK Parliament	North Dorset
List of places UK England Dorset 50.9655°N 2.1885°W / 50.9655; -2.1885

Places of interest

The tower of the Church of St Mary in East Compton is a Grade I listed building.

Politics

Compton Abbas is part of the North Dorset constituency for elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Compton Abbas is part of the Beacon ward for elections to Dorset Council.^[3]