About the DORSET area of DORSET

(For a list of all the prime country estate properties sold in Dorset recently, scroll down to the bottom of this page)

Sandbanks, Poole, Charmouth, Weymouth, Dorchester, Wimborne, Colehill, Wareham, Swanage, Studland, Lulworth, Burton Bradstock, Sherborne, Beaminster and Bournemouth Areas of Dorset.

Dorset divides into three separate areas. To the north of the county you have an area from Shaftesbury across to Sherborne in the Blackmore Vale, downland of Cranborne Chase. In the south-east there is the more urban area around Bournemouth and Poole. To the west, along the coast through Dorchester and Bridport, is the very rural area of West Dorset.

The transport to North Dorset is quite good. Shaftesbury is about 2 hours from London by the M3 and A303 and the line operated by South West trains through Salisbury is quite accessible via Waterloo, though it is not a fast train with the line from Salisbury to Yeovil Junction being single track for some sections.

The area around Bournemouth is considerably better served by rail and road with fast trains via Southampton and the M3 and M27 motorways.

West Dorset is a 3 hour drive from London and with poor roads once you get off the M27 or the A303. The trains are slow and journey times about the same as for driving.

North Dorset is now a popular area for weekenders and for those now able to use technology to work at home one or more days a week. The combination of reasonable transport and beautiful countryside has forced prices up rapidly over the last few years. Particularly popular is Cranborne Chase and Shaftesbury as well as the very pretty country around Sherborne. The Blackmore Vale tends to be slightly less popular as there are fewer quality houses and some of the countryside is quite flat. Having said that, there is strong demand for good farmhouses in that area.

From a country house market point of view, south-east Dorset is rather too urbanised to be very popular. Bournemouth and Poole are sprawling urban areas with everything that goes with it. There is an ever increasing cosmopolitan feel to Sandbanks and the adjoining areas of Branksome Park, Canford Cliffs and Lilliput as awareness increases of the improved lifestyle that can be achieved through living here. Much of the countryside has some of the characteristics of the New Forest to the east – heathland with acidic soil.

West Dorset is one of the most rural areas of southern England. There are no major roads, railway lines or airports and no commercial centre of any size. The coast is very beautiful from the Isle of Purbeck westwards but, like most beauty spots, it tends to be affected by tourists in the summer months. The countryside inland is lovely, with pretty villages and relatively undisturbed local life – the limited transport to and from London keeping prices down and commuters away.

Dorset has a wide range of country houses, and the peace of the place appeals to many families, not least because of the quality of schooling available.

There are no motorways in Dorset, as residents are fond of saying, and a large proportion of the county is made up of designated areas of outstanding beauty. No wonder people from London and the increasingly overstretched home counties are looking south and west.

Dorset is satisfyingly remote for many, but at the same time a more reasonable journey to the capital, making it all the more attractive to those who still maintain links to London.

The main towns are Sherborne, Wimborne and Dorchester, although most of the county, and its character, is to made up of innumerable villages and small towns which are peppered throughout the landscape.

Dorset can be divided into three areas: the vales of the west and north-west; the chalk uplands of the centre; and the marshes of the east and south-east. The coast, along the English Channel, has spectacular sights such as Lulworth Cove and Portland Bill.

Many families have lived in Dorset for generations, and the Elizabethan manor houses for which the county is famous are rare and expensive. There are, however, many good manor houses, old rectories and farmhouses to be found, particularly in the north and west.

Building stone is abundant and good, and includes Portland stone and Purbeck stone to the south of the county. The most expensive houses in Dorset are in Bournemouth and Poole, particularly on the Sandbanks Peninsula in Poole Harbour. Sea Views are always a bonus.

However, prices throughout the county are generally high, as roads and trains to London are fairly good; the same effect is seen to the north of the county, close to the A303. Further west prices were lower, but now compete with the rest of the county, and houses in or near towns and villages such as Sherborne and Cerne Abbas still command a premium.

Simon Jones from Savills in Wimbourne says: Things have changed a little bit in Dorset, but there are still good houses coming onto the market. A pretty house in a good location will always be popular. Prices have come down a little bit on last year, but for the right property, prices are still very competitive.'

In the West, Beaminster and Sherborne are popular, as is the stretch between Wimborne and Salisbury and Shaftsbury as well.

Many houses are being bought as main residences for families where the father works in London while the mother stays in the county during the week, keeping on a house in the capital which they later sell to look for a farmhouse in the county.

One of the reasons it is so popular with families is that schooling in Dorset is well known for being at an extremely high standard.

'Demand for good country houses has increased amongst people who can work from home, or only need to be on London for a couple of days a week,' continues Mr Jones. 'And this combined with the second homes market and the growing retirement market led to rocketing prices between 2003-2004.

'These high prices have been tempered slightly by the overall market performance this year, but a good house in the right place will still command a high price. Nearby roads, though, can be a huge disincentive – when people move to an area for peace and quiet, road noise puts people off considerably,' he continued.

Simon Barker from Knight Frank added: 'In my opinion prices have not fallen but they have hardened. We did have a pretty good rise before this though, and what you see here is only what you will see in the rest of the country.

'There is absolutely no question that there is still very good demand for a decent house properly priced,' he stresses.

Charlie Bladon from Jackson-Stops & Staff in Sherborne agrees: 'The key when selling is to get the price right. There are less buyers but the ones who are looking are extremely serious, which is unusual for this time of year when normally we have a lot of prospective buyers just looking around, not set on a purchase.'

Major towns

Dorchester, Weymouth, Poole, Bournemouth, Christchurch, Blandford Forum, Sherborne, Beaminster, Bridport, Lyme Regis, Shaftesbury.

Transport links

Train: Waterloo to Bournemouth 1hr 40min; Waterloo to Sherborne, 2hr.

Car: Bournemouth is 110 miles from central London, via the M3; Sherborne, 125 miles, via the M3 and A303.

Public schools

Bryanston School, Blandford Forum (01258 452411). Co-educational, age range 13-18, day and boarding. www.bryanston.co.uk

Clayesmore School, Iwerne Minster (01747 812122). Co-educational, age range 13-18, day and boarding. Associated preparatory school. www.clayesmore.net

Milton Abbey School, Blandford Forum (01258 880484). Boys only, age range 13-18, day and boarding. www.miltonabbey.co.uk

Talbot Heath, Bournemouth (01202 761881). Girls only, age range 3-18, day and boarding. www.talbotheath.org

Sherborne School (01935 812249). Boys only, age range 13-18, boarding. Associated preparatory school. www.sherborne.org

Sherborne School for Girls (01935 812245). Girls only, age range 12-18, day and boarding. www.sherborne.com

Canford School, Wimborne (01202 841254). Co- educational, age range 13-18, day and boarding. www.canford.com

Sunninghill Propriety School (01305 262306). Co-educational, age range 2 to 13.

Leisure

Golf courses: Came Down, Dorchester (01305 812531); Isle of Purbeck, Studland (01929 450361); Lyme Regis (01297 442963); Sherborne, (01935 812 475)

Yacht clubs: the Lilliput Sailing Club, Poole; the Parkstone Yacht Club, Poole; Poole Harbour Yacht Club; the Royal Dorset Yacht Club, Weymouth.

Hunts: the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale, the Portman, the Cattistock and the South Dorset.

Fishing: rivers Frome, Piddle and Stour.

THE BEST DORSET COUNTRY HOUSES FOR SALE IN 2004 & 2005
(A breakdown of what was for sale & purchase prices)

2005
Nettlecombe, Cheslebourne: £2.8m

Limbury, Saltway: £1.2m

2004
Chedington Court, near Beaminster (Grade II Jacobean mansion, 17.78 acres): £7.175m


Country Life - June 2005

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