| Motcombe | |
Motcombe |
|
|
Motcombe
Motcombe shown within Dorset |
|
| Population | 1,404 [1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | ST8526 |
| Parish | Motcombe |
| District | North Dorset |
| Shire county | Dorset |
| Region | South West |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | SHAFTESBURY |
| Postcode district | SP7 |
| Dialling code | 01747 |
| Police | Dorset |
| Fire | Dorset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | North Dorset |
| List of places: UK • England • Dorset | |
Motcombe is a village in the county of Dorset in southern England. It lies within the North Dorset administrative district of the county, about 2 miles (3.0 km) north of the town of Shaftesbury. It is sited on Kimmeridge clay soil[2] beneath hills at the edge of the Blackmore Vale. The parish of Motcombe is one of the largest in Dorset.[3] In the 2001 Census the village had a population of 1,404.
In 1905 Sir Frederick Treves described Motcombe as "a hamlet of gardens at the foot of the hill" and wrote of the village houses that they "are facing all ways, as if they were shy of the road or were undecided which way to turn."[4] The parish church of St Mary was rebuilt in 1846, although its font dates from Norman times.[3]
On the south-west edge of the village is Motcombe Park. Within the park is Motcombe House, built in 1893 in Tudor style,[3] and now home to Port Regis, a large private preparatory school.