A Weekend In Sturminster Newton

Situated on the banks of the Stour, this Blackmore Vale market town has successfully reinvented itself whilst maintaining a strong link to the past, writes Andy Greeves

- Andy Greeves

THERE is no doubt that Sturminster Newton has a long and impressive history. Recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Charter of 968 as ‘Nywetone at Stoure’ and in the Domesday Book as ‘Newetone’, Sturminster was the birthplace of renowned writer and poet William Barnes, while novelist Thomas Hardy also called the town home for a time. It is also where you will find an annual Boogie Woogie Festival! (ukboogiewoogiefestival.co.uk)

During the reign of Henry III (1216 – 1272) Sturminster flourished: it was awarded a Royal Charter, permitting a fair and market to be hosted there. Over the next 778 years the town’s cattle market grew to become one of the biggest in the UK before its closure in 1997. But Sturminster’s ‘Monday Market’ continues on a weekly basis - weather permitting!

FROM CATTLE MARKET TO CULTURAL HUB