Burton Bradstock is a village and civil parish in Dorset, England, approximately 2+1⁄2 miles (4 km) southeast of Bridport and 1⁄2 mile (0.8 km) inland from the English Channel at Chesil Beach. In the 2011 Census the parish had a population of 948.[1] The village lies in the Bride Valley, close to the mouth of the small River Bride. It comprises 16th- and 17th-century thatched cottages, a parish church (dedicated to St Mary the Virgin), two pubs, a primary school, shop, post office stores, beach café, hotel, garage, village hall, reading room a library. The parish has a National Coastwatch Institution Station, Lyme Bay Station.
| Burton Bradstock | |
|---|---|
 High Street, Burton Bradstock | |
  Burton Bradstock Location within Dorset | |
| Population | 948 (2011)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SY4889 |
| • London | 145 miles (233 km) ENE |
| Civil parish |
|
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BRIDPORT |
| Postcode district | DT6 |
| Dialling code | 01308 |
| Police | Dorset |
| Fire | Dorset and Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | Village website |
History
editThe place was first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Bridetone,[2] it had 28 households and the lord of the manor was the Abbey of Saint-Wandrille.[3] The toponym means the place (Old English tūn) on the River Bride, and therefore has a different origin from most places named "Burton", including Burton, Dorset.[4]
In 1286 land in the village was acquired by Bradenstoke Priory in Wiltshire.[5] Bradenstoke, sometimes pronounced Bradstock,[6] gave its name to the suffix "Bradstock".[7]
The local church, The Parish Church of St. Mary, dates largely from the late 14th or early 15th century, though it was significantly restored in 1897.[8] 950 yards south-east of the church is the Bronze Age burial mound of Bind Barrow, it is 64 feet (19.5 m) in diameter and 5 feet (1.52 m) high, it was scheduled as an ancient monument in 1959.[8][9]
The cliffs were used for training before the Normandy landings in 1943.[10][11][12]
Geography
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Burton Bradstock lies on Dorset's Jurassic Coast, which in the vicinity of the village comprises vertical cliffs up to 150 feet (45 m) high. Near the top of these cliffs is a layer of Inferior Oolite, which contains large ammonites. Rockfalls result in these being accessible to fossil hunters on the beach beneath. At Hive Beach there is a gap in the cliffs; the National Trust owns the land here and provide a car park. There is a yearly Spring Tide Festival on the beach.[13]
Governance
editThe village is within the Dorset Council ward of Chesil Bank and the parliamentary constituency of West Dorset.
Transport
editThe village has a frequent local bus service to Bridport via West Bay, and is also served by the X53 coastal bus service which runs east to Weymouth, Wareham and Poole and west to Bridport, Lyme Regis, Seaton and Exeter. The village has several local footpaths including one to the beach and the coastpath to West Bay.
Famous residents
editThe musician Billy Bragg has lived in the village since 2000.[14]
References
edit- ^ a b "Area: Burton Bradstock (Parish). Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
- ^ "Dorset A–G". The Domesday Book Online. domesdaybook.co.uk. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
- ^ "Place: Burton [Bradstock]". Open Domesday. domesdaymap.co.uk. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
- ^ Watts, Victor, ed. (2010), "Burton Bradstock", The Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 9780521168557
- ^ Reginald J W Hammond (1979). Dorset Coast. Ward Lock Ltd. p. 44. ISBN 0-7063-5494-X.
- ^ Watts, Victor, ed. (2010), "Bradenstoke", The Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 9780521168557
- ^ Bailey, C.J. (1982). "The Bride Valley". Burton Bradstock village website. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
- ^ a b "'Burton Bradstock', An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Dorset, Volume 1: West (1952), pp. 57-60". British History Online. University of London & History of Parliament Trust. November 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
- ^ Historic England. "Bind Barrow (1018200)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
- ^ "Elizabeth's D-Day". www.bbc.co.uk. 25 May 2009. Archived from the original on 30 January 2020.
- ^ "Pillbox FW3/22 Burton Bradstock - Burton Bradstock - TracesOfWar.com". www.tracesofwar.com.
- ^ Brad King. "Burton Bradstock in World War II". Archived from the original on 3 July 2017.
- ^ "Photographs from Burton Bradstock's Spring Tide Food Festival | Real West Dorset". Archived from the original on 2 October 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
- ^ Morris, Steven (6 January 2011). "Billy Bragg's neighbours urged to drive him out of village". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
After 11 happy years living in Burton Bradstock, people here have already made up their minds about me, one way or another.
External links
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