The best of Dorset in words and pictures

‘A typical Dorset Village’

Ken Ayres has taken his camera north to Stour Provost

Stour

The church of St Michaels and All Angels dates back to the 14th century, although the chancel was restored by the Victorians; happily, they kept the 15th-century panelling in its roof. The tower was badly damaged by lightning in 1948 and partly re-built.

Stour

The boot-scraper outside the porch of St Michael's is made from the clappers of two bells

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Stour

The village's mill, now restored, is mentioned in the Domesday Book

Stour

Much of the village's character comes from the extensive use of the local biscuit-coloured limestone in its cottages, many of them under thatch

Stour

One of the more imposing houses in Stour Provost, which takes the second part of its name from Préaux, the abbey in Normandy which owned the village from the 11th century until 1467. In that year Edward IV gave it to the Provost of King's College, Cambridge, so it is easy to see why the original name of Stour Prews changed to Stour Provost.

Stour

The modern village hall blends in well with the rest of the village