THE last pitched battle fought on English soil took place at Sedgemoor – the aftermath, which included the infamous “Bloody Assuzes” of Judge Jeffreys, is the subject of the major spring exhibition at the Museum of Somerset. Remembering the Monmouth Rebellion will be on show from 29th March to 6th July. The exhibition is part…
FORMER Royal Navy officer Nigel Chambers is the guest speaker at North Cadbury’s parish church, on Saturday 15th March at 7pm, a fund-raising event organised by the Friends of St Michael’s. Nigel will describe various challenges from his career, including yacht racing across the Southern Ocean and around Cape Horn, service at sea in ships…
DORCHESTER has a rich history, and one of its most recent important contributions not only to the town, county and country has been its community plays. It has staged seven – the greatest number of community plays anywhere in the world. The most recent, Spinning the Moon, was due in 2020 and was scuppered by…
THE big spring exhibition at the Somerset Rural Life Museum at Glastonbury, on until 8th June, is Strength and Resilience: Somerset Women in the Second World War, marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, by focusing on the lives of four women who played their part during the conflict and…
THE priceless 13th century Sarum Master Bible is going go on public display for the first time at Salisbury Cathedral, from 28th February to 20th March, following a successful fundraising campaign by Friends of the Nations’ Libraries. The Bible is a manuscript of exceptional artistic value with great significance to Salisbury. It is just 17cm…
SCOTLAND has Robert Burns, Yorkshire has the Brontes, Hampshire has Jane Austen, London has Charles Dickens (and many Moore) – but Dorset, quite small in comparison, has two great major figures who are rooted in the county – Thomas Hardy and William Barnes, who will be celebrated at a gathering to enjoy his poems, with…
ONE of the most influential and high profile scientists in the country, Prof Tim Spector, is coming to Bath Forum on Tuesday 28th January for a give a talk, as a special guest of Bath Festivals. Tim Spector, the author of bestselling books, including The Diet Myth, Spoon-Fed, Identically Different and Food for Life: Your…
WORK is under way to restore and re-wet peatland at Holt Mire near Wimborne, to protect a rare floating spider and flesh-eating sundew plants. Holt Mire is an important peatland habitat on Holt Heath National Nature Reserve, one of the largest areas of lowland heath in Dorset, cared for by the National Trust. The restoration…
THE winter 2024 study day at Springhead, the environmental arts centre at Fontmell Magna, focuses on the ways our ancient predecessors dealt with death. Grave Concerns, on Sunday 17th November, features three experts, including the archaeologist and television presenter Julian Richards, who lives in North Dorset. Grave Concerns, which runs from 10am to 5pm, follows…
AN unprecedented hoard of 2,584 silver coins from the time of the Norman Conquest, found by metal detectorists in the Chew Valley, has been saved for the nation, and will have a permanent home in the Museum of Somerset, after being exhibited at the British Museum and in museums across the country. The acquisition of…