Posts tagged “Lyme Regis”
02/02/2012 No comments

Bridport by Night: An alternative tourism video by Stephen Banks

So, it has been over a week since I uploaded my ‘labour of love’, Bridport by Night, to YouTube. The video really took off in the first four days, accumulating some 8,000 views in that period alone. Hits from technology site Gizmodo and Anglotopia helped it along its way, but the majority of views were picked up by an organic sharing frenzy on Facebook and Twitter.

Throughout last week, I had people who I didn’t know from the local area following me on Twitter and adding me on Facebook. Many of them commented expressing their praise for the video. To date, the video on YouTube has had about 75 comments (and the same number of replies by me), 206 likes and 2 dislikes – a comment reading “Two dislikes for this video? The pair of you: YOU ARE DEAD INSIDE” made me chuckle.

Interest has died down at the moment. A few people have quietly complained about how much I was mouthing off about it, so I haven’t been sharing it around so much. But the other night, ITV West Country Tonight came to West Bay and filmed me for a piece they are running. And this Saturday, the film is being shown at the Bridport Arts Centre as part of a Spirit of Bridport event.

My target number of views for the video is 12,977 (which is Wikipedia‘s listed population for Bridport). It should soon surpass that. I already have plans to make a second, improved version of the video. Difficult second album?
20/05/2011 No comments

Queen Victoria and the Dorset Piddle Riddle

“Legend has it that the villages of Puddletown and Briantspuddle, which used to contain the word ‘piddle’, changed their village titles to avoid embarrassing Queen Victoria whilst she was visiting.” So says the newly-published Little Book of Dorset. Is it true?

12/01/2011 No comments

CAMRA West Dorset pub guide published

Front cover of CAMRA West Dorset pub guide

CAMRA hopes its West Dorset pub guide will encourage people to visit more pubs and help keep them in business. The cover shows The Boot in Weymouth, The Anchor at Seatown, The Anchor in Burton Bradstock, The Rose & Crown in Longburton, The Royal Oak in Dorchester, Shave Cross Inn in the Marshwood Vale, and The Three Horseshoes in Burton Bradstock.

YOU KNOW the scenario – you’ve arrived in a place you don’t know well and you need to find a fine pint of real ale – and a good lunch.

Here to help you around West Dorset is the new Campaign for Real Ale guide, listing all 273 pubs in the area roughly bounded by Lyme Regis, Sherborne and Lulworth.

Within the packed 64 pages are descriptions of all the pubs, their location, telephone numbers, facilities, opening hours and - most importantly- the real ales they serve.

The centre pages open out to a map of the west of the county, showing towns and villages where real ales are served, while other pages display maps of the principal towns. You won’t get lost with this guide!

One of my favourite West Dorset pubs is the very popular and traditional George Hotel in Bridport’s South Street, described in the guide as an “unspoiled oak-panelled pub at the centre of the town, attracting a mixed clientele. Can get very busy at weekends. Less than a mile from the brewery.” It serves all of Palmers’ outstanding real ales.

In Lyme Regis, the Royal Standard has a good atmosphere, another Palmers house. “Comfortable low-ceilinged 400 year old pub with beachside garden. The interior incorporates stained glass panels, depicting historic events in Lyme. Popular pub meals.”

Country pubs feature throughout, such as the wonderful Shave Cross Inn, described as a “rural thatched pub with small flagstone bar, separate restaurant and second bar in the skittle alley/function room. Caribbean flavoured food. Thatchers cider in summer.” One real ale is from the Dorset Brewing Co. [DBC] at its new Crossways home.

Near the Somerset frontier is the Squirrel Inn at Laymore, on the Beaminster to Chard road, one of those isolated pubs you would never know about, but for guides like this. ”Unexpected red brick single bar pub in the middle of nowhere, with good local trade.  Reincarnation of an earlier stone-built pub. Well prepared pub food – popular steak night on Wednesdays.  August beer festival and ‘Ashen Faggot’ festival in January. Garden has play area.” Those like me who like Otter Bitter should find it at The Squirrel and also a Branscombe Vale beer, with occasional guests from Yeovil and Cottage Breweries.

In many cases, pubs will serve a predictable range of real ales- often from local breweries- but sometimes from faraway places. The new updated guide gives an indication of what brands are served at which pubs- although of course that is always likely to change. You will need the West Dorset CAMRA Pub Guide as an essential companion to any future pub outings.

Buy Pub Guide by post

Buy the updated 2011 West Dorset Pub Guide by post from West Dorset CAMRA at 32 Mellstock Avenue, Dorchester DT1 2BQ.

Send a cheque for £5 [including post and packing] made payable to West Dorset CAMRA.

CAMRA members pay only £4; quote your CAMRA membership number to qualify.

Dorset stockists

Alternatively, buy a copy over the bar for only £3.99 from the following outlets:

Bridport – Palmers Wine Store and selected pubs;

Dorchester – The Blue Raddle, 9 Church Street;

Lyme Regis – Tourist Information Centre, Town Mill Brewery and selected pubs;

Portland – Royal Portland Arms, Fortuneswell;

Weymouth – Bradburys, St Edmund Street; Londis, Westham Road and the Railway Station news kiosk.

Michel Hooper-Immins belongs to the British Guild of Beer Writers, whose members share “a love of beer and a desire to see its virtues communicated more effectively.” He is a leading member of CAMRA’s Wessex Region, and his name can often be found in The Good Pub Guide.

The editor of this website also works for Watershed PR, one of whose clients is Palmers Brewery. Please note, however, that Michel Hooper-Immins is an experienced journalist who writes about all pubs and brewers in Dorset as he sees fit.

The CAMRA guide is noticed here because it is a very useful book, worth knowing about and buying. And pubs across West Dorset always do need customers!

Just this month The Bottle Inn  at Marshwood closed, though it may reopen near Easter.          
05/11/2010 No comments

Sir Anthony Jolliffe to retire as President of Society of Dorset Men

SIR ANTHONY JOLLIFFE GBE DL DSc has announced that he will retire, after 28 years as President of the Society of Dorset Men, at the annual meeting next April.

The only Weymouth man to become Lord Mayor of London told 187 members of the society at the annual County Dinner, held at Sherborne School: “I’ve now been President for 28 years and I have decided this is my last year.

“This is a great society, one of the very best county societies in the country.

“However, I will continue to give the Society my full support.”

Chairman Stuart Adam expressed members’ thanks to Sir Anthony.

He said: “You, my father Roy Adam and Gordon Hine have transformed the Society of Dorset Men into a very successful organisation.

“We thank you sincerely for your hard work and commitment to our Society, you will be sorely missed as our President.”

Members then stood to drink to the health of Sir Anthony and Lady Jolliffe.

The President of the Society of Dorset Men with his principal guests, before the County Dinner at Sherborne School.

Pictured above, from left to right: Gay Mole, Captain Peter Mole, Fran Leaper, Professor David Leaper MD ChM FRCS FACS FLS, Sophie Palmer, Hon. Tim Palmer [HM High Sheriff of Dorset,] Emma Jolliffe, Sir Anthony Jolliffe GBE DL DSc [President of the Society of Dorset Men,] Lady Georgina Jolliffe, Stuart Adam [Chairman of the Society of Dorset Men.] Photograph by Michel Hooper-Immins.

Message from The Queen

The County Dinner began with the traditional message from The Queen.

“Her Majesty sends her best wishes to all concerned for a most enjoyable gathering,” wrote HM Private Secretary.

Speech by High Sheriff Tim Palmer

Principal guest speaker The Hon. Tim Palmer, HM High Sheriff of Dorset, began by remembering the late David Woodhouse, a Deputy President of the Society, who had nominated him three years ago.

“Being High Sheriff takes you to all four corners of the county and beyond. I have discovered that there are a huge number of volunteers who keep the communities of this great county going.

Vikings

“The first High Sheriff of Dorset had his head chopped-off by the Vikings, but fortunately we live in more enlightened times,” he went on.

“The last Government was planning to abolish the shrievalty, but it never happened. High Sheriffs used to exercise great power in the county. They have always been associated with law and order; my predecessors had to stand witness at executions. Indeed, the rope for all English hangings was made at Bridport.

Libraries

“One of the modern duties of High Sheriffs is to get to know the volunteers of Dorset. There’s lots of talk these days about the ‘Big Society,’ but the fact is that it’s already happening in Dorset.

“A third of the county’s population are volunteers for some cause and I have seen some outstanding examples as I travel around Dorset, whose people are ever ready to support their communities.

“For example, the libraries of tomorrow will almost certainly be run by local volunteers. Dorset people know what it is to look after their neighbours,” concluded The Hon. Tim Palmer.

Gavin Henson

Weymouth Harbourmaster Captain Peter Mole, who grew up in the resort, talked of his interesting role in running one of the South Coast’s most historic ports.

He felt much at home back in Weymouth, enjoying meeting the sailors and yachtsmen, including Wales rugby international Gavin Henson, whose yacht was berthed in the harbour.

Martinstown vineyard

Surgeon Professor David Leaper spoke about his happy experiences of being in Dorset for seven years. Revealing he owned a vineyard in Martinstown, he had developed a love for Dorset.

Sir Anthony Jolliffe presented the Bryan Challis Cup for recruiting most members to Chairman Stuart Adam and the Hambro Golf Cup to Secretary Hayne Russell. The President closed the evening by thanking Stuart Adam for taking-on the Chairman’s mantle from his father.

“What a fantastic evening,” said Sir Anthony Jolliffe, “and we are grateful to Hayne and Pat Russell for all their sustained hard work on organising this and other Society functions.”

Master of Ceremonies Colin Fry, from Lyme Regis, donated his fee to the Youth Cancer Trust.
31/10/2010 No comments

Historian reveals how Dorset sailor died in Siberia

THE STORY of how a young West Dorset farm labourer came to be murdered in Siberia is uncovered in the November issue of the excellent parish magazine, the Eggardon & Colmer’s View.

The fate of Harry Marsh has been researched, ahead of Remembrance Day, by the military historian Richard Connaughton, who lives in Nettlecombe.

Harry Marsh was born in 1893. He left Powerstock for the Navy in 1912, survived World War I, and was by 1918 a Petty Officer (Stoker) on HMS Carlisle. In the summer of 1919, the ship sailed for Russia. Her mission was to help defeat the Bolsheviks who had led the Russian Revolution.

Harry Marsh was killed on 22 October, 1919, in what Mr Connaughton calls the “lawless frontier port” of Vladivostok.

“He was shot to death whilst walking along a lonely road in Vladivostok by a person unknown. This suggests that Marsh was robbed… He was buried in the Lutheran section of the Pokrovskaya Cemetery.”

This is the barest of summaries. Mr Connaughton’s full article can be found on page 19. (The magazine has plans for a website but nothing at the moment beyond an ‘under construction’ page).

I’ve reproduced some of the facts here, firstly because they show what startling human details lie behind the letters that we see on memorials like the one in Powerstock church that lists ‘H. Marsh. HMS Carlisle’.

Secondly, because Mr Connaughton also mentions a project that I’d never heard of.

This is the UK National Inventory of War Memorials, an archive of Britain’s 100,000 war memorials, which aims eventually to record as much information as possible about every one of them. (The appeal for money to help achieve this, incidentally, is led by Paul Atterbury of BBC Antiques Roadshow fame who has lived for several years in Eype near Bridport, but is now, according to the selfsame issue of the Eggardon & Colmer’s View, moving to Weymouth).    

Anyway, the url for the archive is at http://www.ukniwm.org.uk/

There are ten entries for Bridport alone, five for Lyme Regis (including the clock tower in the Cobb Gate car park), and four for Beaminster, including this from St Mary’s church:

In loving memory of/ Cecil Collins Hann/ 2nd Lieut. Royal Flying Corp/ Son of Albert and Edith Hann of Beaminster/ Who was Killed in Action in the air during the Battle of the Somme, Oct. 22nd 1916. Aged 25 years/ His body was laid to rest at Heilly, Mericourt L’Abbe, France

“GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS. THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS” S. JOHN XV.13