Bothenhampton & Walditch Parish Council
Bothenhampton
Bothenhampton is a parish now forming a suburb of Bridport. Bothenhampton was a settlement in Saxon times and in the Domesday Book of 1086, it was part of the manor of Loders, it was then called Bothenamtone. It was originally a separate village but modern expansion has enveloped it. At the east end of the village are the remains of the original 14th century church comprising the tower and chancel. When the church became too small, instead of rebuilding it, a new church was constructed in 1887.
The Conservation Area Appraisal for Bothenhampton sets out the key characteristics of the village and any issues associated with it:
• High hills, hedges and trees to the east, NE and SE of the Conservation Area;
• Groups of trees and hedges on Hollow Way, in the two churchyards, around The Old Rectory and along Quarry Lane;
• 15 Listed Building entries, including a Grade II* New Church in assured Arts and Crafts Gothic by ES Prior, an attractive remnant of the Grade 1 Old Church , several C16 and C17 farmhouses, early C19 stone and brick houses and smaller cottages;
• About a dozen unlisted buildings of quality, character and group value, including several thatched cottages, a Victorian rectory, early C19 farm buildings and a K6 telephone box;
• A coherent group of buildings on Main Street;
• Strong local building traditions, employing Forest Marble stone and local brick clays, with thatch, plain tile and pantiles;
• Some attractive details, such as ironwork, stone paving and walling.
At the end of Bothenhampton village is the village park, which is a memorial to John Holt.
Bothenhampton Nature Reserve includes a disused limestone quarry (Wanderwell Quarry) and the ridge of a hill overlooking the coast. It is a mix of woodland, scrub and grassland, which makes it an interesting habitat for birds, mammals, invertebrates and plants.
The quarry provided stone for the foundations of buildings in villages as far away as Charmouth, Symonsbury and Loders. Much nearer the Forest Marble has been used for walls and foundations of buildings in Bridport, Bothenhampton and Burton Bradstock. The evidence from buildings shows the quarry has been in use since the 14th century. The quarry has not been worked since the 1930's.
The stone of Bothenhampton and Wanderwell Quarry is known as Forest Marble and dates from the Middle Jurassic period and is over 170 million years old. The stone is a shelly limestone of marine origin and runs in a narrow band to the east of Bridport, it lies over Fullers Earth.
Bothenhampton Village Hall
Bothenhampton Village Hall Committee would like to WELCOME you to Bothenhampton. As a small village, Bothenhampton is very keen to foster a community spirit and the Village Hall Management Committee works very hard to encourage use of the Village Hall by the whole community. As well as occasional events organised by various groups and individuals (usually advertised on village notice boards) there are groups who meet on a regular basis. We hope that you find something interesting in the list below and look forward to meeting you soon:
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