Relax and enjoy the Dorset countryside
Beaminster is an old settlement, dating back to around the 7th century, the present church is dedicated to St Mary and dates from the 13th to the 15th centuries.
Most of present day Beaminster dates from the 18th and 19th centuries, although a few earlier buildings have survived on the edges of the town. The town centre, with its stepped market cross is now a preservation area and includes more than 200 listed buildings.
Not far from Beaminster is the Elizabethan manor house of Mapperton, with its attractive valley garden. The house has been the home of the Earls of Sandwich since the Restoration of King Charles II. Concerts and various other events are held here.
At Midsummer each year, the Beaminster Festival of Music and the Visual Arts is held in the town. The festival lasts for ten days and includes a wide range of festivities and events. The town has its own local history museum featuring Beaminster and neighbouring villages. The varied special exhibitions change throughout the season. This is an ideal centre from which to explore other Dorset attractions and there are many lovely walks around the area. The town itself offers a range of small shops, with a bank, post office, chemist, newsagent, supermarket, farmers market, specialist shops and restaurants & cafés.
The harbour of the pretty village of West Bay is the starting point for the eleven mile walk along the valley of the River Brit. This scenic route ends to the north of Beaminster at Winyards Gap.
Beaminster provides an ideal base to explore the Jurassic coast line along the Chesil, Swanage, Lyme Regis, Charmouth and Weymouth. Close by are Abbotsbury gardens, the Swannery, Dartmoor, Exmoor, Longleat wildlife park, Bovington Tank museum, FleetAir arm museum and Sherborne Abbey.
