| Powerstock | |
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Powerstock
Powerstock shown within Dorset |
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| Population | 415 |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | SY517962 |
| District | West Dorset |
| Shire county | Dorset |
| Region | South West |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Bridport |
| Police | Dorset |
| Fire | Dorset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | West Dorset |
| List of places: UK • England • Dorset | |
Powerstock is a village in south west Dorset, England, situated in a steep valley on the edge of the Dorset Downs, five miles (8 km) north east of the market town of Bridport. The village contains many cottages and 2 inns: The Three Horseshoes near the church and The Marquis of Lorne Inn on the other side of the valley in a small hamlet called Nettlecombe. The small Mangerton River runs through the valley.
Powerstock has a population of 415 (As of 2001[update]). It was originally known as 'Poorstock' but this was changed to 'Powerstock' when the Bridport Railway was built in 1857, possibly to avoid connotations of 'poor (rolling) stock'[1] Powerstock railway station (and the entire Bridport branch line) closed on 5 May 1975. Panorama of Powerstock, December 2010
Poorstock Forest was one of the 80 royal forests created by the Normans in the 11th, 12th and early 13th centuries. A 'forest' originally meant land where certain rights (usually hunting) were reserved for a monarch or the aristocracy (see medieval hunting).
The nearby Eggardon Hill (height 252 metres) lies about 1.5 miles south-east of the village. On the summit is a 14 hectare Iron Age hill fort, from which can be viewed a wide panorama of the west Dorset countryside. Just over a mile to the east of the village lies the nature reserve of Powerstock Common.
Powerstock was used as the filming location for the BBC productions of Agatha Christie's "A Murder is Announced" and the 2010 "Spring Watch" series.