Dorset History Centre

Dorset History Centre ... a thousand years, a million stories. We house Dorset's local archives - from council records to personal collections.

Dorset History Centre is the archives service and local studies library for Bournemouth, Christchurch, Dorset and Poole.

Map Monday is back!This week we have this lovely map of the county of Dorset showing all the railways of the county in t...
31/08/2026

Map Monday is back!

This week we have this lovely map of the county of Dorset showing all the railways of the county in the latter part of the 19th Century. Made by well-known map maker, George Cruchley, the map divides the county into different hundreds, and shows the extent of the railway lines and major roads throughout Dorset.

📷 M/24: Cruchley's Road and Railway Map of Dorset. n.d. [?1885 - 1920]

Good luck to AFC Bournemouth in their first home match of the new season at the Vitality 🍒 Did you know we have plans fr...
29/08/2026

Good luck to AFC Bournemouth in their first home match of the new season at the Vitality 🍒

Did you know we have plans from the 1930s for a new stand at the Dean Court stadium in our collections here at Dorset History Centre? Check out the full catalogue of plans we hold here: https://orlo.uk/exhH1

28/08/2026

Desks that go up and down! There is a sit / stand desk in the local studies library and in our searchroom which can be adjusted manually to suit your needs. They can be adjusted for wheelchairs for a comfortable height to work at or you may like to adjust it to a standing position. This will enable you to improve your posture and ease back discomfort. You may also like to have it in a standing position if you like to move around while working.
Discover Dorchester

Last week we introduced you to Lara, who shared her thoughts on her work experience placement in July with us. This week...
28/08/2026

Last week we introduced you to Lara, who shared her thoughts on her work experience placement in July with us. This week we want to share the thoughts of Cat, who also joined us for the month, and got involved in a wide range of things. If you're interested in learning more about what work experience students get up to for a month, then hopefully this will give you some ideas: https://orlo.uk/AqK9J

Today is World Lake Day, where we think about the importance and conservation of lakes in our countryside and communitie...
27/08/2026

Today is World Lake Day, where we think about the importance and conservation of lakes in our countryside and communities. Created by the United Nations in 2024, this day of observation aims to raise awareness and highlight the significance of lakes around the planet. You can learn more about this here: https://orlo.uk/OpC7W

📷 D-DPA/1/MIL/21: Milton Abbas, Lake: View of Lake looking north. mid 20th century
📷 D-DPA/1/PL/10: View of Poole Park including swans on boating lake. circa 1900
📷 D-DPA/1/WY/260: Weymouth: Radipole Lake and swans. Rowing boats and railway bridge in background.. abt 1950
📷 D-DPA/1/MOC/16: Moor Crichel House, Lake: View of Serpentine Lake & Gazebo in Crichel House Park. 1968

We are off to the beach this week. Do you know where we are this Wednesday?If you know where this picture is, let us kno...
26/08/2026

We are off to the beach this week. Do you know where we are this Wednesday?

If you know where this picture is, let us know in the comments below, and we'll confirm the answer next week!

Today is National Dog Day! It's therefore the paw-fect excuse to have a dig through the archives for some photos of our ...
26/08/2026

Today is National Dog Day! It's therefore the paw-fect excuse to have a dig through the archives for some photos of our favourite four-legged friends! 🐶

📷 Collage of photos of dogs from the D-HBT collection at Dorset History Centre. 1950s and 1960s
📷 D-CRI/H/3/18/27: Photograph from a scrapbook compiled by Mary Corkran. Includes the dogs Angus and Beauty, alongside Alice. 1920s
📷 D-CDN/J/8/3/2: Photograph of a puppy and a Pekinese dog in a garden with an unidentified woman in the background. 1920s
📷 D-DPA/1/LR/288: Lyme Regis, Harbour: Lady and dog on steps at The Cobb. 1984

OTD in 1921 (we think) it was the big one, as one team of farmers from Beaminster took on another team of farmers from S...
25/08/2026

OTD in 1921 (we think) it was the big one, as one team of farmers from Beaminster took on another team of farmers from Sherborne in a cricket match for the ages (we're sure!)

We'd love to know if anyone knows who won the match - let us know in the comments below!

If you're part of a local sports team and hold records and photos that you might like to deposit with us for long-term preservation then please get in touch as we'd be delighted to receive them: [email protected]

📷 D-SSA/Z/6: Poster about farmers' cricket match, Beaminster v Sherborne. [1921]

It's the start of a new week, which means it's time for another Map Monday!Before tithe maps different manor houses and ...
24/08/2026

It's the start of a new week, which means it's time for another Map Monday!

Before tithe maps different manor houses and estates often kept their own plans of local lands, both so they knew who the tenants were, but also so that they could know the size of the lands in question. This example, a map showing the lands of the Manor of Ibberton, dates from 1781, and shows the names of all the fields and their size in acres, roods and perches.

📷 D-BAW/3N188B/1: Map of the Manor of Ibberton, 1781

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