Tracing its roots back to 1837, Eldridge Pope was the staple of Dorchester enterprise. Upon its restructuring and the development of the new brewery site in 1880 by the new owners Edwin and Alfred Pope, ‘Eldridge Pope & Co. Ltd.’ soon became the largest and most important employer in Dorchester. These were successful times, but… Read more Eldridge Pope: The best beer in town!
It is impossible to list all the additions in the Extra Illustrated Edition of Hutchins, but several items catch your eye as you browse the second volume; the drawing of a maze at Pimperne, a rubbing of a coat of arms alongside sketches of archaeological finds from a house at Langton Long, the account of… Read more Hutchins’ Extra Illustrated Volume 2 – The Pitt family, a piano player and a plague of caterpillars
In our thousands of records there are a wide variety of old jobs mentioned, many familiar to us in the 21st Century, but some which seem slightly peculiar to modern audiences. For this Archives A-Z we thought we would use the letter J to look at some of the more unusual jobs of old in… Read more Archives A-Z: J is for… Jobs of Old
February typically marks the end of winter, and leads us towards spring. This transition from the snow and cold of winter into the new shoots of growth in spring is something which is reflected in a wide variety of material held at the archives. William John Bankes was as aware as anyone about the transitional… Read more Spring has Sprung
One of the most consulted books at the Dorset History Centre is Hutchins’ History and Antiquities of Dorset. John Hutchins, then Vicar of Swyre and Melcombe Horsey and later Rector of Holy Trinity Wareham, began collecting information for his History of Dorset in the 1730’s. It took him nearly forty years to complete and, were… Read more Hutchins’ Extra Illustrated: Volume 1
Christmas is a time of year when many people send cards and letters to loved ones and here at Dorset History Centre we have some lovely examples of these. In 1896 17 year old Francis Arthur Marten was serving on HMS Nelson. On the 12th of December he wrote a letter home to his father… Read more Christmas Correspondence
House history is something we frequently get asked about here at Dorset History Centre. There are a whole variety of reasons why knowing about a property can be important, be them legal, academic or just plain curiosity. We hold a range of sources which can help house historians find more information about their property. Maps… Read more Archives A-Z: H is for houses
At this time of year many of us are spending our free time in the garden. Our collections reveal a passion for gardening going back centuries. Changing fashions Plans for alterations to the grounds at Frampton House demonstrate the changing fashions in eighteenth century garden design (reference: D-SHE/22). In 1778 a survey of the grounds… Read more Archives A-Z: G is for gardens
Inspired by the popular festive song, staff at Dorset History Centre have been delving into the archives for items related to the Twelve Days of Christmas – with a sprinkle of artistic license! A partridge in a pear tree A 1760’s inventory from Corfe Castle lists pear trees planted in John Bond’s orchard. The varieties… Read more Twelve Days of Christmas from the Archives
Were you aware that in 1965, winner of the Miss World international beauty pageant and one-time Bond girl, came from none other than our own fair county? Watch, as blonde bombshell Lesley Langley wanders about Weymouth in these latest of photos from the Herbert Photographic Collection. A mayoral reception along the Esplanade, press teams pointing… Read more Miss World’s whistle-stop Weymouth tour!
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