Melbury Abbas
| Melbury Abbas | |
 View looking down on Melbury Abbas from the southwest |
|
  Melbury Abbas Melbury Abbas shown within Dorset | |
| Population | 301 |
|---|---|
| Civil parish | Melbury Abbas |
| 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 |
Melbury Abbas is a village and civil parish in north Dorset, England, situated between Shaftesbury and Blandford Forum on the edge of Cranborne Chase, close to Melbury Down. The village has a population of 301 (2001), 34.4% are retired. 6.1% of dwellings are second homes.
The village is situated on what has become the main road between Shaftesbury and Blandford. This road runs along the hills of Cranborne Chase and is not officially classified, but is used by much of the traffic that should use the A350 primary route which runs in a roughly parallel course through the Blackmore Vale less than a mile to the west. This is because the hilltop road is straighter and passes through fewer villages. Melbury Abbas is the only bottleneck on this road, where it dips down into the valley and becomes narrower. Dorset County Council have considered bypass schemes, but none have got further than preliminary stages as the village is surrounded by important conservation land.
There is a small airfield near the adjacent village of Compton Abbas. Prominent hills in the area include Melbury Hill (263 m) and Breeze Hill (262 m).
External links
Media related to Melbury Abbas at Wikimedia Commons
