Holwell, Dorset

Holwell
Holwell
Holwell
Location within Dorset
Population404 (2021 census)
OS grid referenceST703107
Civil parish
  • Holwell
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townSherborne
Postcode districtDT9
Dialling code01963
PoliceDorset
FireDorset and Wiltshire
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament

Holwell is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England, situated approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) south-east of Sherborne. It is sited on Oxford clay[1] in the Blackmore Vale. Its name derives from the Old English hol and walu, meaning a bank or ridge in a hollow.[2] The parish includes the hamlets of Sandhills, Westrow, Barnes Cross, The Borough, and Woodbridge. In the 2021 census the parish had a population of 404.

Holwell parish church is situated with a few houses at the end of a cul-de-sac in a small settlement called The Borough.[3] This is the original medieval part of the village, sited next to the Caundle Brook in the north of the parish. Secondary settlements were established later to the south, east and west; these were outside The Borough's open field system and had their own enclosures. The most southerly part of the parish was enclosed in 1797.[4] The church, dedicated to St Lawrence, largely dates from the late 15th century,[4] though it was restored in 1885.[5] The biblical scholar Henry Adeney Redpath was rector at Holwell between 1883 and 1890.[6]

A short distance north of the church the Caundle Brook is crossed by a packhorse bridge,[7] probably of medieval origin.[4] About 0.5 miles (0.80 km) to the west and also crossing the Caundle Brook is Cornford Bridge, dating from the 15th and 18th centuries and designated a grade II* listed building and a scheduled monument.[8] Also grade II* listed is Naish Farm, situated approximately 0.5 miles (0.80 km) southeast of The Borough and a good example of a medieval domestic farmhouse.[4][9]

At Barnes Cross—between The Borough and Cornford Bridge—is a pillar box which is the oldest still in everyday use in Britain. It is hexagonal with a vertical letter slot and was made between 1853 and 1856 by the Gloucester firm John N. Butt & Co.[5][10] It is also grade II* listed.[11]

Governance

At the lower level of local government, Holwell is a civil parish with a parish council of up to seven elected members.[12]

At the higher level, Holwell is in Dorset unitary district. For elections to Dorset Council it is in Sherborne Rural electoral ward.[13]

Historically, Holwell was an exclave of Somerset until 1844,[4] being part of the parish of Milborne Port.[14] Under Dorset County Council in the two-tier system of local government, Holwell was in Sherborne rural district from 1894 to 1974,[15] and then in West Dorset district until Dorset became unitary in 2019.

Demographics

Census population of Holwell (Dorset) parish
Census Population Female Male Households Source
1921 359 [16]
1931 342 [16]
1951 323 [16]
1961 293 [16]
1971 300 [16]
1981 390 [16]
1991 370 [16]
2001 380 188 192 157 [17]
2011 369 186 183 160 [18]
2021 404 198 206 166 [19]

Notes

  1. ^ Ralph Wightman (1983). Portrait of Dorset (4 ed.). Robert Hale Ltd. p. 140. ISBN 0-7090-0844-9.
  2. ^ David Mills (2011). A Dictionary of British Place-Names. Oxford University Press. p. 244. ISBN 9780199609086. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  3. ^ West Dorset, Holiday and Tourist Guide. West Dorset District Council. c. 1983. p. 10.
  4. ^ a b c d e "'Holwell', An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Dorset, Volume 3: Central (1970), pp. 117-123". British History Online. University of London & History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  5. ^ a b "Holwell". Dorset OPC Project. 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
  6. ^ Lee, Sidney, ed. (1912). "Redpath, Henry Adeney" . Dictionary of National Biography (2nd supplement). Vol. 3. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
  7. ^ Ernest Hinchliffe (1994). A Guide to the Packhorse Bridges of England. Cicerone Press. ISBN 1-85284-143-5.
  8. ^ "Cornford Bridge, Bishop's Caundle". British Listed Buildings. britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  9. ^ "Listed Buildings in Holwell, Dorset, England". British Listed Buildings. britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  10. ^ Roland Gant (1980). Dorset Villages. Robert Hale Ltd. pp. 74–5. ISBN 0-7091-8135-3.
  11. ^ "Pillar Box at Barnes Cross at St 693 118, Holwell". British Listed Buildings. britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  12. ^ "Dorset Association of Parish & Town Councils | Councillors". Dorset Association of Parish & Town Councils.
  13. ^ "Area profile for Sherborne Rural - Dorset Council". gi.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk.
  14. ^ Caroline Thorn; Frank Thorn. "Dorset introduction". Digital Repository. University of Hull. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  15. ^ "Sherborne Rural District (RD) through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g "Past population - Parishes (A-L), 1921-2001- Census Years". Dorset County Council. Archived from the original on 6 September 2012.
  17. ^ "Key Statistics". Office for National Statistics. Tables KS001 (Usual resident population) and KS016 (Household spaces and accommodation type). Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  18. ^ "Key Statistics". Office for National Statistics. Table KS101EW (Usual resident population) and Table KS105EW (Household composition). Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  19. ^ "Parish Profiles". 2021 United Kingdom census. Office for National Statistics. GSS E04003548 (Holwell (Dorset)) in tables PP001 (Number of Households) and PP002 (Sex). Retrieved 5 August 2024.

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