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Woodlands is a village and civil parish in the East Dorset district of Dorset, South-West England. It is five miles (8 km) north of Wimborne Minster. Horton Road is the main road going through the parish.

Woodlands
The Church of the Ascension, Woodlands
Woodlands Location within Dorset
Population	522 2011 Census
OS grid reference	SU051090
Civil parish	Woodlands
District	East Dorset
Shire county	Dorset
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	WIMBORNE
Postcode district	BH21
Dialling code	01202
Police	Dorset
Fire	Dorset and Wiltshire
Ambulance	South Western
UK Parliament	North Dorset
List of places UK England Dorset 50.881°N 1.928°W / 50.881; -1.928

Woodlands has a long history and is known for multiple reasons. It is home to the Church of the Ascension which is a Grade II listed building.

In 2001, the village had a population of 544 but in 2011 the population had fallen to 522.[1]

The village

Demography

The population grew from 346 in 1811 to 476 in 1851 and then declined to 384 in 1911 [2] but grew from a low point of 323 in 1951 to reach 544 in the 2001 census. In 2011, the village had a population of 522,[1] 272 males and 250 females;[3] the majority (504) are white British and Christianity (334) is the main religion.[4]

Economy

Of the 286 people who are economically active,[5] 280 are currently in employment, the majority (67) are either managers, directors or senior officials.[6] The main industry that the residents of Woodlands work in is the Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and Motor Cycles (44). Manufacturing (37) and construction (35) also make up a large sector of employment in Woodlands.[7] In 1831 the majority of the population (67) were employed as agricultural labourers,[8] in 1881 that increased to 70.[9]

Housing

There are currently 201 households in Woodlands[10] which has increased from 95 in 1901.[11] The average house price in Woodlands is £447,735 which is comparatively more expensive than in neighbouring Verwood (£332,770) and Three Legged Cross (£352,353) but is cheaper than nearby Holt (£699,607).[12] The majority of households (90) are married couple households with no dependent children.[13]

Recreation

Remedy Oak golf club is located in the heart of Woodlands that helps to increase the popularity of the area.

The parish church

Woodlands is home to the Anglican Church of the Ascension, a Grade II listed building.[14] The church is in the Diocese of Salisbury. The church was dedicated in 1892 and was given to the village by Harriet, the Countess of Shaftesbury, in memory of her husband Anthony who was the 8th Earl of Shaftesbury.[15] The church was designed by prolific church architect George Frederick Bodley who designed cathedrals in Tasmania and Washington.[16] The exterior of the church is a plain brick structure but the inside is prominent. There are three central columns arcading down the middle of the nave. On entering the church there is a large 12th-century circular stone font from Knowlton church (two miles west) which, according to tradition, was used for baptisms by Saint Aldhelm.[15]

History

Woodlands parish was established when the hamlets of Baggeridge, Woodlands and Knowlton (the earliest settlement) were detached from Horton in the 19th century. Woodlands village was then first recorded in 1244.[17] Woodlands was part of the Shaftesbury estate until after the Second World war.[16]

The parish is home to the hamlet of Knowlton with its prehistoric henges known as Knowlton Circles.

In 1870-72 John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales said that in Woodlands:

"The Duke of Monmouth, after the battle of Sedgemoor, was taken here in a ditch."[18]

The village is mentioned in 'Owen's book of fairs' in 1788 as having a yearly fair selling horses, cheese and toys on the 5th of July. (https://archive.org/stream/owensnewbookfai00owengoog#page/n39/mode/2up)

References

External links

Media related to Woodlands, Dorset at Wikimedia Commons

• Census data

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