Blandford Forum combines a largely preserved Georgian town centre with museums, a history trail and countryside along the River Stour. This offers several ways to discover the town: through its architectural history, the history of the town and surrounding villages, and its setting in a wooded valley.
Georgian Heritage in the Town Centre
After the fires of the early 18th century, William and John Bastard designed and oversaw the rebuilding of the largely unchanged Georgian town centre. Blandford Forum’s Town Hall and Corn Exchange is a Grade I listed building. The Georgian heritage is evident both in the townscape and in a single building.
The parish church of St Peter and St Paul was rebuilt between 1732 and 1739 after a fire. It is a notable example of Georgian church architecture in the Classical style. Its building history and architectural design offer different ways to appreciate the church.
Lime Tree House is another Georgian building connected to the town’s history. John and William Bastard had it built after the great fire of 1731; the Fashion Museum is housed in Lime Tree House. Its historic clothing and textiles relate to social history. Here, a Georgian building and a collection that conveys social history through clothing and textiles come together.
Two Museums, Different Focuses
The Fashion Museum focuses on historic clothing and textiles in the context of social history. Blandford Town Museum, by contrast, explores the history of Blandford Forum and the surrounding villages. It presents this history through displays, exhibitions and local artefacts.
The permanent exhibitions at Blandford Town Museum cover a broad span of time, from Stone Age bones and artefacts to a model of the railway station from the 1960s. The Fashion Museum, by comparison, focuses on clothing, textiles and social history. These different areas of focus can help you choose a museum visit that suits your interests.
Countryside and Routes
Blandford Forum lies in a wooded valley on the banks of the River Stour and is surrounded by gently rolling hills. The landscape therefore adds another perspective to the Georgian townscape: the river, valley and hills shape the town’s geographical setting.
The history trail through Blandford Forum runs mostly along flat, paved paths. There is a slight incline around the church. When planning the trail, you can take both features into account: most of it is flat and paved, with an incline around the church.
Orienteering courses are located at Stour Meadows and Milldown. The shorter course is 2 km long, and the longer one is 5 km. The history trail, by contrast, is characterised mainly by its path surface and incline. The two activities therefore offer different points to consider when planning: course length for orienteering, and the route described for the trail.
Blandford Forum therefore offers several specific themes to consider when choosing a place to stay: Georgian architectural history, two museums with different focuses, and routes through a river and hill landscape. If you are looking for hotels for your trip, this mix can help you decide whether the town suits the interests you would like to prioritise during your stay.
For the main travel overview: Dorset.
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