Coordinates: 50°48′25″N 2°31′30″W / 50.807°N 2.525°W
| Sydling St Nicholas | |
 Sydling St Nicholas
Sydling St Nicholas shown within Dorset |
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| Population | 401 |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | SY632995 |
| District | West Dorset |
| Shire county | Dorset |
| Region | South West |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Dorset |
| Fire | Dorset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | West Dorset |
| List of places: UK • England • Dorset | |
Coordinates: 50°48′25″N 2°31′30″W / 50.807°N 2.525°W Sydling St Nicholas is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southwest England. It is situated in the West Dorset district of the county, about 9 miles (14 km) northwest of the county town of Dorchester. It once constituted a liberty, containing only the parish itself. As of 2001[update] the village had a population of 401, with 9.6% of dwellings being second homes.[1] In 1905 Sir Frederick Treves described the village as "the most charming in the district".[2]
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Contents
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Location
Sydling St Nicholas is sited in the valley of Sydling Water, a tributary of the River Frome. The valley is one of several roughly parallel valleys which cut into the dip slope of the Dorset Downs, a line of chalk hills that run across the centre of the county. Sydling St Nicholas lies at an altitude of 110 metres (360 feet), the surrounding chalk hills rise up to 265 metres (870 feet) at Gore Hill to the north. The hills and all of the village parish lie within the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The A37 Dorchester-Yeovil main road runs along the top of the hills about 1 mile to the west.
History
In pre-Roman times human habitation in the vicinity was confined to the hilltops;[3] evidence of an early village settlement exists at nearby Shearplace Hill,[4] about 0.75 miles (1.25 km) to the south-east. Saxon settlers arrived in the valley in the 7th or 8th century, and in 933 AD land was given to the monks at Milton Abbey, who provided the village with a priest.[3] In subsequent centuries the village has been owned by Sir Francis Walsingham, minister of Queen Elizabeth,[2] and by Winchester College.[5]
Parish church
The 15th-century parish church of St Nicholas is built on slightly higher ground than most of the houses in the village. It possesses a Norman font and a tower that has been described as handsome.[4] The south aisle has settled since construction, so the south wall is buttressed and has only a small door.[6] In 1905 the church was described as being "quite famous for its numerous and amazing gargoyles",[2] however seventy-five years later the church was noted more for being "Light, open, airy, free of restorers' excesses", and for possessing a "noble wagon-roof" in the nave.[6]
Sydling Water
Sydling Water is a chalk stream that rises just to the north of Sydling St Nicholas in the hamlet of Up Sydling. The stream divides upon entering the village, and many cottages are reached across small bridges.[3] The village has historically sometimes experienced floods; after a thunderstorm in 1889 one man drowned after having been swept away, and his body was found about a mile downstream.[6] Today Sydling Water is known for its watercress farms.
See also
References
- ^ 2001 Census parish profile
- ^ a b c Treves, Sir F., Highways and Byways in Dorset, Macmillan, 1905, p340
- ^ a b c Gant, R., Dorset Villages, Robert Hale Ltd., 1980, p97
- ^ a b West Dorset District Council, West Dorset Holiday and Tourist Guide, c. 1983, p18
- ^ Wightman, R., Portrait of Dorset, Hale, 1983, p97
- ^ a b c Gant, R., Dorset Villages, Robert Hale Ltd., 1980, p98
External links
Media related to Sydling St Nicholas at Wikimedia Commons
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