Winterborne Houghton
| Winterborne Houghton | |
| Dorset | |
|---|---|
 St Andrew's Church, Winterborne Houghton | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | ST820045 |
| Location: | 50°50’22"N, 2°15’26"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 183 |
| Post town: | Blandford Forum |
| Postcode: | DT11 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Dorset |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
North Dorset |
Winterborne Houghton is a village in northern Dorset, standing beside the course of a winterbourne in the Dorset Downs, five miles south-west of Blandford Forum. The 2011 census noted the parish to have 82 households and a population of 183.
The name "Winterborne" derives from the River Winterborne, which has its source here.[1] The river only flows overground during the winter, hence the name. To the east is Winterborne Stickland and the river flows on to this village, eventually joining the River Stour. To the south-west is Milton Abbas.
The village church is named after St Andrew and is a Grade II listed building. It was designed by Thomas Henry Wyatt and built during 1861–62.[2] It is in the Perpendicular style and faced with flint with a tiled roof. It has a simple plan with nave, chancel, north aisle and south porch. The tower is on the west end and is built in two stages with a battlemented parapet. Internally, the nave has a hammer beam roof and the chancel a wagon roof. The fifteenth century font has a carved octagonal bowl on an octagonal stem, and the other fittings are nineteenth century.[3]
Residents of Winterborne Houghton used to be known as "Houghton Owls", in reference to the story of a villager who, when calling for help having got lost in the woods, mistook the calls of owls for answering human voices. In his book Dorset Villages Roland Gant posits the theory that Thomas Hardy used this tale as inspiration for the scene where Joseph Poorgrass gets lost in Yalbury Wood in Far from the Madding Crowd.[4]
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Winterborne Houghton) |
References
- ↑ "Walking the River Winterborne". Dorset AONB Partnership, UK. 2011. http://www.dorsetaonb.org.uk/assets/downloads/Winterbournes_Wetlands/Winterborne_Leaflet_final_copy.pdf. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
- ↑ Nikolaus Pevsner: The Buildings of England: Dorset, 1972 Penguin Books ISBN 978-0-300-09598-2page 481
- ↑ National Heritage List 1305141: Church of St Andrew
- ↑ Roland Gant. Dorset Villages. Robert Hale Ltd. p. 80. ISBN 0 7091 8135 3.