Dorchester Dino

Dorchester
Just south of the county town is its forerunner, Maiden Castle, a green hill-fort inhabited 4000 years ago. In 44AD the Romans captured it and built their new city, Durnovaria, now covered by the modern Dorchester. When digging foundations for new building Roman remains are often discovered. However, above ground can still be seen one of the finest Roman remains, Maumbury Rings, a great amphitheatre whose chalk terraces could accommodate 10,000 spectators. They would come to watch gladiatorial battles and athletics.
There are two famous statues. One is of Parson Barnes who kept school here at one time, and wrote poetry in the gentle Dorset Dialect. The other statue is of Thomas Hardy the novelist. Born at nearby Higher Bockhampton he built a fine house called Max Gate in Dorchester. The birthplace and Max Gate both now belong to the National Trust.

Dorchester
Dorchester, the county town of Dorset, is of great historical and archaeological interest and is crossed by ancient Roman roads. The handsome 15th century St. Peter’s Church and the Old Shire Hall with its courtroom are notable, and in High West Street are the lodgings of the infamous Judge Jeffreys. The Bridport road passes the imposing building which now houses the Dorset Military Museum containing exhibits relating to local regiments.

Moreton Tearooms

Moreton Tearooms is a very good place to visit, you can tell that when you drive the half a mile road aproach to the Old School House in Moreton underneath a canopy of trees that eventually opens out onto a very quaint and extrmely Dorset styled 3-way crossroads. The pretty and very inviting building on the left is the Old School House and it’s a joy to enter.

Once inside you can see old pictures of past school classes and read about Lawrene of Arabia in a room that they have dedicated to him.

The menu is also full of information but the food is worth the trip from Dorchester too, make sure that you keep an eye on the Specials Board, you don’t want to miss out on anything!

The tastefully decorated interior gives off  a pleasant and relaxed atmosphere and on fine days there is the old school yard, now a well laid out garden to sit in too.

Tables are waited on and the food is of a very high standard, if you want to learn more about them you can visit their website here.

Museums in Dorchester

Dorchester is lucky to have many different museums to visit, all dotted close to the Town Centre.

At the top of town there is The Keep Military Museum which is housed in a spectacular old Keep and easy to spot as you arrive in Dorchester from the West.

Further down the main road on the left is the Dorset County Museum, again, housed in another beautiful building.

From there, crossing the road there are signposts to some of the other museums such as the Teddy Bear Museum, the Dinosaur Museum, the Terracotta Warriors and the Tutankhamun Exhibition.

Make sure you get to visit as many as you can during your stay with us.