89-455: John (ca 1688–1770) and William Bastard (ca 1689–1766) were British surveyor-architects, and civic dignitaries of the town of Blandford Forum in Dorset. John and William generally worked together and are known as the "Bastard brothers". They were builders, furniture makers, ecclesiastical carvers and experts at plasterwork, but are most notable for their rebuilding work at Blandford Forum following
178-593: A putto standing by an urn . The early 18th century nave of the Church of St Mary at Almer in Dorset is attributed to them as Stepleton House at Iwerne Stepleton , and the church of St. Giles in Wimborne St Giles was rebuilt by the brothers in 1732. In Poole , a Grade I listed mansion house built in 1746 for the wealthy 18th century merchant Sir Peter Thompson , is attributed to John Bastard. This three storied brick and stuccoed house designed on an "H" plan
267-598: A Georgian country town in England", with the Market Place area in particular given the status of "An Area of National Importance" and described as "a brilliant master piece" [sic]. Buildings that have received Grade I listing by English Heritage are the parish church of St Peter and St Paul, the town hall and corn exchange, The Old House, Coupar House, Pump House, and several buildings in Market Place: numbers 18, 20 and 26, and
356-515: A different parish ( Pimperne ) on the town's northern side. Previous census figures for the town's civil parish are shown in the table below: Important sectors in Blandford's economy include public administration, education and health (41% of non-agricultural employment), distribution, accommodation and food (25% of non-agricultural employment) and production and construction (19% of non-agricultural employment). In 2012 there were 3,900 people working in
445-581: A family of Dorset yeomen . and his wife, Jane ( née Knight). As a small boy, he attended the school run by the Dorset dialect poet William Barnes , and later the Merchant Taylors' School and London Hospital Medical College . He passed the membership examinations for the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 1875, and in 1878 those for the fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS). He
534-596: A fire assessor before and after this fire, and a book survives in Dorset History Centre in which he detailed assessments from fires at Sturminster Newton Castle (1730), Affpuddle (1741), Beaminster (1741), Puddletown (1753) and Wareham (1762). The inventory for the fire at Blandford shows the losses of everyone in the town including the Corporation of the Borough of Blandford and the church. Bastard and Co. were
623-603: A food hall. In 2005 there were 110 shops in the town, with a total floorspace of 9,800 square metres (105,000 square feet). Other national chains with a presence in the town include Iceland , Boots , Homebase and WHSmith . An outdoor market takes place every Thursday and Saturday, and there is a bi-weekly indoor market held in the Corn Exchange. Blandford's shopping catchment area (major food shopping), which extends about 8 miles (13 km) north-east and south-west and about 5 mi (8 km) north-west and south-east, had
712-455: A large fire of 1731, and for work in the neighbourhood that Colvin describes as "mostly designed in a vernacular baroque style of considerable merit though of no great sophistication.". Their work was chiefly inspired by the buildings of Wren , Archer and Gibbs . Thus the Bastards' architecture was retrospective and did not follow the ideals of the more austere Palladianism which by the 1730s
801-549: A marble wall monument with side-scrolls, pediment, urn and cherub's head. Other members of the Bastard family were masons in Dorset and as far afield as London and the Dashwood mausoleum at West Wycombe . There are no records of any member of the Bastard family practising as architects after the first quarter of the 19th century Although the brothers' work is in a provincial style, critics have evaluated it positively. Pevsner describes
890-409: A new town hall , school and church. The redesigned town centre has survived to the present day virtually intact. After the post-fire reconstruction Blandford remained a thriving market town. Wool spinning and button making were also significant, and the brewing and hostelry trades expanded. The turnpike road between Salisbury and Dorchester was made in 1756 and passed through the town, and
979-496: A phoenix from its ashes, to its present beautiful and flourishing State ." However, the monument also has a more practical use, built above a piped spring : should a fire break out again it would supply a head of water for the attachment of fire hoses. The monument was converted into a drinking fountain in 1899. At the time of the 1731 fire the bachelor brothers John and William occupied a house in Blandford Forum that belonged to
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#17330927293191068-584: A population of about 24,200 in 2001. In education, important employers in the area include Bryanston School , Clayesmore senior school at Iwerne Minster about 5 mi (8 km) north, and The Forum School at Shillingstone 5 mi (8 km) north-west. Other important employers in the town include Damory Coaches , the brewing company Hall and Woodhouse , Hospital Metalcraft, metal tube manipulators Iracroft Ltd, trolley maintenance company KJ Pike & Sons, Signpost Housing Association, Wessex Homes Park and Leisure Ltd. Blandford lies at
1157-683: A powerful earthquake at Kingston, Jamaica , shortly before he landed there. He was also chairman of the Executive Committee from 1905 to 1912 of the British Red Cross , and was the first president of the Society of Dorset Men. From 1905 to 1908, he was Rector of the University of Aberdeen . Early in the First World War, drawing on his Boer War experience, he travelled to France as an advisor to
1246-548: A rabbit hole, straining his Achilles tendon, for which he was fitted with an iron splint. Treves received the Freedom of the Borough from his native town of Dorchester in July 1902. Treves' ability as an author was discovered by Malcolm Morris of Cassell & Co. He wrote many books, including The Elephant Man and Other Reminiscences (1923), Surgically Applied Anatomy (1883), Highways and Byways in Dorset (the county in which he
1335-495: A steeple, but lack of money resulted in the wooden cupola instead, a decision that disgusted Bastard, who stated that "it will not keep the wett nor the weather out". Sir Frederick Treves was not a fan of the church's appearance, describing it in his 1906 Highways & Byways in Dorset as "ugly, and only tolerable from a distance". The interior remains relatively unaffected by Victorian interference and retains its font , pulpit , box pews and mayoral seat . The rebuilding of
1424-409: A terrace of almshouses ; and many large private houses with classical facades, notably Spetisbury and Coupar House. The parish church of St Peter and St Paul was built between 1732 and 1739 and is a classical building with a cupola on top of the tower. Outside of London, it is one of the few Georgian churches in the country. The design by John Bastard originally specified that the tower would have
1513-504: Is "... to prevent by a timely Supply of Water, (with God's Blessing) the fatal Consequences of FIRE hereafter". In 1768 Bastard provided an endowment of £600. The monument was repaired in 1858 and the pump was replaced by a fountain in 1897. To the south of the town a six-arch stone bridge spans the River Stour ; it is built mostly of greensand with some heathstone and was extensively restored in 1726. The water meadows between it and
1602-521: Is a market town in Dorset , England, on the River Stour , 13 miles (21 km) north-west of Poole . It had a population of 10,355 at the 2021 census . The town is notable for its Georgian architecture , the result of rebuilding after a major fire in 1731; it was assisted by an Act of Parliament and a donation by George II , to designs by local architects John and William Bastard . The town's economy
1691-401: Is a wall monument with a pediment to Benjamin and Thomas Bastard, dated 1772, on the external face of the north wall of the parish church of St Mary Magdalene, Castleton, Sherborne in Dorset. The inscription has weathered away. Inside the nave, on the north wall of the north aisle is a monument to Elizabeth Bastard (née Prankerd), wife of Benjamin Bastard, 1732–3, and their son Benjamin. This is
1780-506: Is attributed the brothers. The church which was built in 1713 has a distinctive tower topped by four obelisk pinnacles . Charlton Marshall was the home of the Horlock-Bastard family, where they had been country gentlemen since the time of the brother' s grandfather Thomas Bastard. Thus the interior of the church contains memorials to members of the Bastard family, including a sculpture dedicated Thomas Bastard who died in 1791 which depicts
1869-591: Is based on a mix of the service sector and light industry. Blandford Camp , a military base, is on the hills two mi (three km) north-east of the town. It is the base of the Royal Corps of Signals , the communications wing of the British Army , and the site of the Royal Signals Museum . Blandford has been a fording point on the River Stour since Anglo-Saxon times. The name Blandford derives from
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#17330927293191958-628: Is by Sir Christopher Wren . The organ, dating from 1794, is by George Pike England and is the most intact of his surviving works; it allegedly had been intended for the Savoy Chapel in London, but was too big, so George III supposedly gave it to Blandford instead. In 1893 the church was enlarged by moving the apsidal sanctuary out on rollers onto new foundations and building a new chancel behind it. The Victorians did install galleries to accommodate an increasing congregation, though these were removed in
2047-410: Is designed in a confused Palladian style, the fenestration making the facade crowded. It is now used as offices by private businesses. John Bastard rebuilt Crichel House for Sir William Napier after a fire in 1742, and the brothers' nephews and heirs, Thomas, Benjamin and James, collaborated to enlarge the shell of Crichel House in 1771–73; the new interiors were designed by James Wyatt . There
2136-695: Is held in the town centre every year in the first week of May. The event includes cultural presentations, stalls, historical re-enactments, music and dancing, and a fun fair on the meadows along the banks of the River Stour. The town also hosts an annual carnival and the Great Dorset Steam Fair is held at nearby Tarrant Hinton . There are three museums in Blandford and its vicinity: Blandford Town Museum in Bere's Yard, Blandford Fashion Museum in The Plocks, and
2225-417: Is in the highest Palladian tradition, as exemplified by Inigo Jones in his Banqueting House at Whitehall , the windows alternating with segmental and pointed pediments . The whole of the facade is surmounted by a uniting pediment, with a circular window at its centre. The design of the facade seems incomplete, as though flanking wings are missing. The provincial design of the building is again emphasised by
2314-504: Is now gone – the train line to Blandford was removed in the 1960s – was mentioned in the 1963 song Slow Train by Flanders and Swann . Local radio stations are BBC Radio Solent on 103.8 FM, Greatest Hits Radio South (formerly Wessex FM ) on 96.6 FM and BFBS Radio , which broadcasts on 89.3 FM from a studio at the military base as part of its UK Bases network. Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC South and ITV Meridian . Television signals are received from
2403-584: Is one of the main characters in The Elephant Man , Bernard Pomerance 's 1977 play about Joseph Merrick's life, as well as David Lynch 's 1980 film , in which he was portrayed by Anthony Hopkins . In that film, the English actor Frederick Treves , Sir Frederick's great-nephew, plays an alderman. Working at the London Hospital and coming into contact with criminal cases, he is also depicted by Paul Ready in
2492-425: Is the birthplace of three eighteenth-century bishops: William Wake (1657–1737), Archbishop of Canterbury ; Thomas Lindesay (1656–1724), Archbishop of Armagh ; and Samuel Lisle (1683–1749), Bishop of Norwich . Members of the influential aristocratic Pitt family were born in Blandford, including William Pitt , Thomas Pitt , Robert Pitt and his wife Harriet Villiers . Frederick Abberline (1843–1929),
2581-503: Is the home of Blandford Rugby Club. There are also local authority controlled football and rugby union pitches at The Blandford School in Milldown Road. Next to the main post office in the town centre is Woodhouse Gardens, a small public garden that contains a pavilion that can be hired for events. The Blandford fly ( Simulium posticatum ), a small (2–3 mm) biting fly belonging to the family Simuliidae or "blackflies" lives in
2670-643: The Dorset National Landscape (an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty , or AONB) to the west and the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs AONB to the north and east. Most of the buildings in Blandford's centre are Georgian , due to the rebuilding after the 1731 fire and the absence of subsequent change. Pevsner stated that "hardly any other town in England can be compared with it". A 1970 report by Donald Insall Associates described Blandford as "the most complete and cohesive surviving example of
2759-520: The Old English blǣge , and probably means ford where gudgeon or blay are found. The name Blaneford or Bleneford is recorded in the Domesday Book , referring not to Blandford Forum itself but to the adjacent villages of Bryanston and Blandford St Mary on the opposite side of the ford, and Langton Long Blandford further downstream. By the 13th century, the settlement on the north bank of
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2848-575: The Rowridge TV transmitter and the local relay transmitter situated in Winterborne Stickland . BBC West and ITV West Country can also be received from the Mendip TV transmitter. Blandford Forum has a Non-League football club, Blandford United F.C. , who play at Blandford Recreation Ground. Blandford Bowls Club play in several men's and women's leagues and have a six rinks green, also on
2937-404: The Royal Signals Museum at Blandford Camp military base. Blandford Town Museum has no admission charge but is not open on Sundays or during the winter. It has artefacts from the history of the town and the surrounding area, and a small Victorian garden that was created in 2008. Blandford Fashion Museum has collections of fashions between the early 18th century and the 1970s; it is also closed in
3026-567: The overmantel is Palladian while the pediment of the door opposite is Baroque, this occurrence, coupled with the squat appearance of the composition, would not have occurred in the work of a major architect of the time, but was the Bastard's way of showcasing their versatility. This room is open to visit as it is now the vintage room of a charity shop. The Bastard brothers' work in the no longer fashionable Baroque seems to have been through preference rather than ignorance. When working on formal civic buildings they invariably attempted to design in
3115-425: The 17th and 18th centuries Blandford was also a malting and brewing centre of some significance. Almost all of Blandford's buildings were destroyed on 4 June 1731 by the "great fire", which was the last of several serious fires that occurred in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. The fire began in a tallow chandler's workshop on a site that is now The King's Arms public house . Within a few hours, almost 90% of
3204-412: The 1970s, a change that Pevsner called "a visual blessing". Blandford Forum Town Hall occupies a site in the Market Place close to the site that was occupied by its predecessor. It dates from 1734 and has a two-storey three-windowed frontage of Portland stone ashlar . The ground floor has three semi-circular arches leading to an open portico or loggia , called The Shambles, that used to be part of
3293-584: The Bastards' works at Blandford as providing " One of the most satisfying Georgian ensembles anywhere in England ". Such architectural naivety as can be found in some of the Bastards' works is visible in small country towns the length and breadth of Britain and exemplifies the spread of evolving architectural genres from the cities. Their work is typical of the architecture which gives character and distinction and an idiosyncratic charm to many of Britain's provincial areas. Blandford Forum Blandford Forum ( / ˈ b l æ n f ər d / BLAN -fərd )
3382-463: The Music Room at Buckingham Palace . The King had opposed surgery because of the upcoming coronation, but Treves insisted, stating that if he was not permitted to operate, there would instead be a funeral. The next day, Edward was sitting up in bed, smoking a cigar. Treves was honoured with a baronetcy on 24 July 1902 (which Edward had arranged before the operation), and appendix surgery entered
3471-745: The Physician-in-Ordinary, Lord Dawson . His lifelong friend Thomas Hardy attended and chose the hymns. Hardy also wrote a poem for the occasion which was published in The Times . It begins with the words: "In the evening, when the world knew he was dead". His ashes were buried in Dorchester (Weymouth Avenue) cemetery. In 1877, Treves married Ann Elizabeth, daughter of Alfred Samuel Mason, of Dorchester. They had two daughters, Enid Margery Treves – who married in 1902 Lt-Col Charles Delmé-Radcliffe, CMG , MVO – and Hetty Marion Treves (1882–1900). Treves
3560-711: The Trustees of the William Williams charity. The Bastards had extensive workshops and premises at the rear of this building. After the fire they rebuilt the house at their own expense in exchange for the grant of a long lease of the premises from the Williams charity. The room known as the Bastards' Study or the Mezzanine Room was ornately decorated, unlike the rest of the house, and served as a showroom for their skills in plasterwork, woodwork and interior decoration. The pediment of
3649-659: The War Office and to report on medical care for the British Red Cross. Around 1920, Sir Frederick went to live in Switzerland , where he died in Lausanne on 7 December 1923 at the age of 70. He died from peritonitis , which in the days before antibiotics commonly resulted from a ruptured appendix . His funeral took place at St Peter's Church , Dorchester , on 2 January 1924, King George V and Queen Mary were represented by
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3738-690: The account rendered in the 1980 film. In 1885, Treves was awarded the Hunterian Professorship . During the Second Boer War (1899–1902), Treves volunteered to work at a field hospital in South Africa, treating the wounded . He later published an account of his experiences in The Tale of a Field Hospital , based on articles written at the time for the British Medical Journal . Treves
3827-416: The age of 11 to The Blandford School, which is a secondary school lying in the west of Blandford; the school also has a sixth form. A number of private schools are also located near Blandford, such as Bryanston School , Canford School , Clayesmore School , Hanford School , Knighton House School and Milton Abbey School . Blandford Georgian Fayre, a one-day celebration of the town's Georgian heritage,
3916-547: The area. In recent years the weed beds in the river have been sprayed to reduce numbers. Blandford Elm ( Ulmus glabra Huds. 'Superba') is a (now rare) very large-leaved wych cultivar, first raised by nurseryman Gill of Blandford Forum in the early 1840s, and distributed by nurseries in the UK, Europe and the USA. Only one specimen is known to survive (2020), in Edinburgh. Blandford
4005-446: The arrival of the coaching era increased the town's prosperity, though the built fabric of the town changed little until the first half of the 19th century, when houses for wealthier inhabitants were built to the north alongside the roads to Salisbury and Shaftesbury . Later in the 19th century, perhaps following the installation of piped water, more densely packed buildings were built to the northeast, replacing gardens and barracks for
4094-471: The bypass road to the north-east of the town. In 2009 there were 370 firms providing employment in the town. Major government employers in the town include the Environment Agency and Dorset Council , whose offices on Salisbury Road were until 2019 the home of North Dorset District Council . Major employers that are funded by government include Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust and
4183-510: The communications wing of the British Army , the Royal Corps of Signals , based at Blandford Camp about 2 km ( 1 + 1 ⁄ 4 mi) north-east of the town. Blandford Camp incorporates a modern technology training college. Major retail employers in the town include the Co-op (previously Somerfield ) and Tesco , though in 2015 the Co-op site was sold to Marks & Spencer , which opened
4272-425: The design of this frontage has been described as "curiously amateurish" with "little attention ... paid to rules of proportion". The Old House was probably built some time between 1650 and 1670 by a German doctor who practised in Blandford after graduating from The Queen's College, Oxford . Its unusual design, which includes a steep hipped roof with wide spreading eaves , has elements of artisan style popular at
4361-596: The early 1630s, Blandford was described as "a faire Markett Towne, pleasantlie seated upon the River ... well inhabitted and of good Traffique". In the 17th-century English Civil War Blandford was a Royalist centre; most inhabitants supported the king. In the 18th century Blandford was one of several lace -making centres in the county; Daniel Defoe stated that lace made in the town was "the finest bonelace in England... I think I never saw better in Flanders, France or Italy". In
4450-630: The former chief inspector for the London Metropolitan Police during the hunt for Jack the Ripper , was born in Blandford. The composer and organist Albert Mallinson (1878–1946) lived in Blandford. The music hall performer Sam Cowell (1820–1864) died in the town, and is buried there. The sculptor Alfred Stevens (1817–1875), who created the Duke of Wellington ' s monument in St Paul's Cathedral ,
4539-545: The junction of the A350 and A354 main roads but is skirted by an eastern bypass . The main road running through the town is the B3082, connecting Blandford Forum to Wimborne Minster . Blandford Forum is around 33 miles (53 kilometres) southwest of junction 1 of the M27 motorway at Cadnam . Buses run from the town to locations including Poole , Bournemouth , Salisbury and Shaftesbury with
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#17330927293194628-471: The largest private losers. The Blandford fire, which swept away the heart of a town that had evolved in a haphazard way from the medieval period, presented an opportunity for more regular redevelopment in the classical styles. However, with the exception of a widening the original market square, the fashionable Baroque style of town planning was ignored and the town was rebuilt on its former medieval street plan. The first building to be completed in Blandford
4717-626: The late 19th and early 20th century. On 29 June 1888, he performed the first appendicectomy in England. In 1884, Treves first saw Joseph Merrick , known as the Elephant Man, being exhibited by showman Tom Norman in a shop across the road from the London Hospital. Treves brought Merrick to the London Hospital in about 1886, having him live there until his death in April 1890. Treves' reminiscences mistakenly name Joseph Merrick as "John Merrick", an error widely recirculated by biographers of Merrick including
4806-421: The line terminated at the hamlet of Blandford St. Mary. Blandford Forum railway station , along with the whole line, closed to passengers in 1966. Located between Templecombe and Broadstone , the railway was still open until the closure of the Blandford's goods yard in 1969, after which the track was lifted. The station was immortalised in 1964 in the song " Slow Train " by Flanders and Swann . Blandford Camp
4895-438: The market. Toward the back of the building is the old corn exchange, a late 19th-century assembly hall with "interesting elliptical roof-trusses". Coupar House, dated around 1750, is the largest private house in Blandford that dates from the post-fire period. It has a richly decorated interior with a notable staircase, and is unique among the town's private dwellings for having Portland stone dressings to its brick façade, though
4984-576: The medical mainstream in the UK. He was granted the use of Thatched House Lodge in Richmond Park and was subsequently able to take early retirement. He published a book about his experiences of the king's illnesses, shortly after the coronation. Treves continued to serve the royal family as Serjeant Surgeon to the King and to the Royal Household from July 1902 until 1910. In November 1905 the King fell down
5073-566: The middle of the 20th century Blandford Fair, a seasonal sheep fair held in summer and autumn, had also disappeared, due to changes in animal husbandry and a reduction in sheep numbers in the county. In the United Kingdom national parliament , Blandford is in the North Dorset parliamentary constituency whose current Member of Parliament (MP) is Simon Hoare of the Conservative party . At
5162-499: The more modern Palladian style, Blandford's town hall exemplifies this. However, when given the freedom of choice over design then they appear to follow the more flowing and curvaceous Baroque. John Bastard's own house, and the "Red Lion" public house both in Blandford are both in the Baroque style, with broken pediments and capitals inspired by those of Borromini rather than those of Palladio . The lack of accurate record keeping at
5251-500: The old Greyhound Inn. All the listed structures in Market Place, including the church and another seventeen buildings with either Grade II or Grade II* status, form a group, together with several listed properties in West Street and East Street. The parish church of St Peter and St Paul was built between 1732 and 1739 and is a classical building with a cupola on top of the tower. The design by John Bastard originally specified that
5340-560: The other three wards each elect three. The mayor of Blandford for 2022 - 2023 is Colin Stevens. Blandford is situated between Cranborne Chase and the Dorset Downs , to the south-east of the Blackmore Vale , 13 mi (21 km) northwest of Poole and 22 mi (35 km) south-west of Salisbury . It is sited in the valley of the River Stour , mostly on rising ground northeast of
5429-400: The placement of three covered urns on the pediment redolent of the Baroque style which by the 1730s had already passed from its brief period of high fashion in England. The pediment appears heavy and lacks support from the pilasters which more urbane architects would have placed at either end of the facade. The Town Hall, designed to provide a central feature to a row of houses, is typical of
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#17330927293195518-454: The poor (that had been erected following the fire) between the roads to Salisbury and Wimborne Minster . Rail transport arrived in Blandford in the 1860s, though this did not impact greatly on the town's economy. Blandford's weekly animal market disappeared in the 20th century, perhaps a casualty of motorised transport that enabled larger markets to be held in fewer centres (the market at nearby Sturminster Newton increased significantly). By
5607-516: The primary operator being Wilts & Dorset . Blandford is 15 mi (24 km) from Bournemouth Airport and 15 mi (24 km) from Poole railway station . From 1860 to 1966, Blandford Forum was a stop on the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway , which ran from Bath to Bournemouth , though until the bridge was built over the river Stour, opening in 1863, the Dorset Central section of
5696-1003: The recreation ground on Milldown Road. Blandford Cricket Club has three men's teams that play in divisions in a local county league, plus several youth teams that compete in the North Dorset Junior leagues. The club has its own cricket ground at the top of Whitecliff Mill Street. Blandford Rugby Football Club are based at Larksmead Recreational Ground. Blandford Community Hospital on Milldown Road provides minor and day surgery, occupational therapy, outpatient and community rehabilitation services, palliative care, community mental health services and physiotherapy. Blandford Library, located on The Tabernacle, has music and feature films for hire as well as books, and has internet access and reference works available. Public open spaces in Blandford include Park Road Recreation Ground, which has football and cricket pitches and associated pavilions, and Larksmead Playing Field, which has two rugby pitches, and
5785-419: The river had become a market town with a livestock market serving the nearby Blackmore Vale with its many dairy farms. At the start of the 14th century it returned two members of parliament and was also known as Cheping Blandford , where Cheping or Chipping refers to a market. The Latin translation Forum was first recorded in 1540. In Survey of Dorsetshire , written by Thomas Gerard of Trent in
5874-487: The river, but with some development south of the river at Blandford St Mary. The underlying geology is Cretaceous chalk bedrock that in places is overlain by Quaternary drift: alluvium in the river's flood plain , head deposits around the town's south-west, south and south-east borders, and clay with flints at the highest part of the town in the north. The town is almost surrounded by land that has been designated as having landscape value of national significance:
5963-559: The river; these are not within the parish of Blandford, but the town's built-up area extends into Blandford St Mary parish. In national parliamentary elections these five wards are joined with 22 others that together elect the Member of Parliament for the North Dorset constituency. In town council elections Blandford's four wards together elect thirteen councillors to Blandford Forum Town Council; Blandford Central ward elects seven councillors, and
6052-505: The time has necessitated in many cases attribution to the brothers rather than complete credit. Outside Blandford, the Bastards were responsible for joiner's and carver's work in Hazlegrove House, Somerset and at Lulworth Castle , Dorset (destroyed by fire in 1929). John Bastard was employed, with the master-mason Francis Cartwright, to rebuild Crichel House , Dorset, for Sir William Napier. The church of St. Mary at Charlton Marshall
6141-408: The time, though it was described by John Hutchins as "an architectural graft from the 'fatherland' planted by the worthy doctor on the soil of his adopted country". The Pump House fire monument was built by John Bastard in classical style to commemorate the fire. It dates from 1760, is of Portland stone and stands adjacent to the churchyard wall. The inscription on its rear wall states its purpose
6230-611: The top tier of local government Blandford ward is governed by Dorset Council , which provides all services apart from those provided by Blandford Forum Town Council, which has responsibilities that include outdoor fitness and play areas, CCTV , the cemetery and allotments, venue hire, the indoor market, grass cutting and grit bins. For electoral purposes on the town level Blandford is divided into four electoral wards : Blandford Central, Blandford Hilltop, Blandford Langton St.Leonards and Blandford Old Town. A fifth ward, Riversdale and Portman, covers Bryanston and Blandford St Mary west of
6319-560: The tower would have a steeple, but lack of money resulted in the wooden cupola instead, a decision that disgusted Bastard, who stated that "it will not keep the wett nor the weather out". Sir Frederick Treves was not a fan of the church's appearance, describing it in his 1906 Highways & Byways in Dorset as "ugly, and only tolerable from a distance". The interior remains relatively unaffected by Victorian interference and retains its font , pulpit , box pews and Mayoral seat. The pulpit, originally designed for St Antholin's in London,
6408-471: The town are crossed by a causeway and two smaller bridges. The 2021 census recorded a parish population of 10,355. At the 2011 census , Blandford Forum civil parish and the small neighbouring parish of Langton Long Blandford had a combined population of 10,325. The built-up area of Blandford extends south of the River Stour into the civil parish of Blandford St Mary ; in 2013 the population of Blandford St Mary and Blandford Forum civil parishes combined
6497-534: The town was officially completed in 1760–a feat commemorated by a memorial in the form of a portico to the church, known as the Fire Monument . Pevsner describes this memorial as a " detailed tabernacle with Doric columns ". This was designed and paid for by John Bastard, who had it engraved, somewhat immodestly, with the inscription " in grateful Acknowledgement of the Divine Mercy, that has raised this Town, like
6586-645: The town's fabric had gone; all fire-fighting equipment had been lost to the fire and the church's lead roof had melted. Even properties west of the river in Blandford St Mary and Bryanston were burned, though notable buildings that survived in the town include the Ryves Almshouses and Dale House in Salisbury Street, Old House in The Close, and much of East Street, including Stour House. An Act of Parliament
6675-623: The town, 55% of whom worked full-time and 45% part-time. Between July 1997 and July 2013 the unemployment rate for residents of working age varied between 0.5% and 2.5%. There are five industrial estates and business parks in and around the town: Blandford Heights Industrial Estate (9.47 hectares or 23.4 acres), Holland Way Industrial Estate (7.32 hectares or 18.1 acres), Sunrise Business Park (5.6 hectares or 14 acres), Uplands Industrial Park (1.34 hectares or 3.3 acres) and Clump Farm Industrial Estate (1.30 hectares or 3.2 acres). These are sited mostly toward
6764-667: The winter. The Royal Signals Museum contains items relating to the history of the Royal Corps of Signals and military communication since the Napoleonic Wars . In 1590, Edmund Spenser mentioned the Stoure flowing through the town in The Faerie Queene . Blandford features in Thomas Hardy 's novels as the Wessex town of Shottesford Forum. Blandford Forum railway station which
6853-456: The work of the Bastard brothers, from which they were to make their fortune. They became entrepreneurs and local politicians. Other works by the Bastards in the town include the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, built between 1733 and 1739; the market place around the town hall, designed in the classical style but not uniform; the Greyhound Inn (1734–35; now a bank), which was their own property;
6942-612: Was a Knight of Grace of the Order of St John . Treves began his medical career as a general practitioner , becoming a partner in a medical practice in Wirksworth , Derbyshire. His daughter was born in Wirksworth in 1878. The house he lived in on Coldwell Street is called Treves House. He moved to London where he became a surgeon, specialising in abdominal surgery, at the London Hospital in
7031-486: Was a prominent British surgeon, and an expert in anatomy. Treves was renowned for his surgical treatment of appendicitis , and is credited with saving the life of King Edward VII in 1902. He is also widely known for his friendship with Joseph Merrick , dubbed the "Elephant Man" for his severe deformities. Frederick Treves was born on 15 February 1853 in Dorchester, Dorset , the son of William Treves, an upholsterer , of
7120-678: Was also Medical Officer to the Suffolk Yeomanry until he resigned in May 1902, and he accepted the appointment as Honorary Colonel of the Royal Army Medical Corps ( Militia ) on 30 August 1902. In March 1900, Treves was appointed one of the Surgeons Extraordinary to Queen Victoria , and after her death the following year, he was appointed one of several Honorary Serjeants Surgeon to her successor, Edward VII. In May 1901 he
7209-678: Was born in Blandford, as were Reginald Heber Roe (1850–1926), the first vice-chancellor of the University of Queensland , and the surgeon Sir Alfred Downing Fripp . Sir Roy Welensky (1907–1991), Prime Minister of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland from 1956 until 1963, lived in Blandford from 1981 until his death. Blandford Forum is twinned with: Sir Frederick Treves, 1st Baronet Sir Frederick Treves, 1st Baronet , GCVO , CH , CB , FRCS , KStJ (15 February 1853 – 7 December 1923)
7298-535: Was born) (1906), A Student's Handbook of Surgical Operations (1892), Uganda for a Holiday , The Land That is Desolate , and The Cradle of the Deep (1908). This last volume is an account of his travels in the West Indies , interspersed with portions of their histories; describing (among other things) the death of Blackbeard the pirate, an eruption of Mount Pelée (which destroyed the city of St. Pierre, Martinique ), and
7387-405: Was diagnosed with appendicitis . Treves, with the support of the leading surgical authority, Lord Lister , performed a then-radical operation of draining the infected appendiceal abscess through a small incision and leaving the appendix intact. This was at a time when appendicitis was generally not treated operatively and carried a high mortality rate. The operation was carried out on a table in
7476-435: Was estimated as 12,110. Previous census returns for the town show that it had a population of less than 4,000 until 1981, after which it increased rapidly; in the 2001 census, the town had 4,524 dwellings and a population of 8,760, of whom 96.5% were White British. Some of the population increase however can be accounted for by a boundary change which incorporated housing estates that already existed but were previously within
7565-417: Was highly popular in England. The brothers, the sons of Thomas Bastard (died 1720), a joiner and architect, the founder of a family firm of provincial architects in the area. However little remains today of the works of the brothers' ancestors, chiefly as the result of the 1731 fire and a previous fire in the town in 1713. A fire on 4 June 1731 destroyed the greater part of Blandford. John Bastard worked as
7654-487: Was introduced that stated that rebuilding work must be in brick and tile and should begin within four years. With assistance from the rest of the country—including £1,000 given by King George II —the town was rebuilt over the next ten years to the designs of local architects John and William Bastard . Bottlenecks were removed and streets realigned in the new town plan, which also provided a wider market place. As well as residential and commercial property, new buildings included
7743-567: Was knighted as a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO). The King's Achilles tendon was treated in January 1902, and then in June he found a "hard swelling in the abdomen". Treves did not remove the abscess, which was perityphlitis , an inflammation around the appendix which required draining. The coronation of the new king was scheduled for 26 June 1902, but on 24 June, Edward
7832-579: Was served by a short-lived three-mile branch line, which left the main line just north of the river bridge. This operated intermittently from 1918 to 1928. Blandford Forum has two primary schools: Archbishop Wake and Milldown. A new Archbishop Wake school, built on the old St Leonards Middle School site at the bottom of Black Lane, opened in November 2008. The other feeder schools for The Blandford School are Blandford St Mary, Downlands, Dunbury and Durweston, Pimperne, and Spetisbury Primary Schools. Pupils move at
7921-546: Was the grandiose Blandford Forum Town Hall , finished in 1734. Constructed, like much of their work, in the local Portland stone , the building is architecturally of interest because of its idiosyncrasies of style. While at first glance appearing to be a typical example of the Palladian style popular at the time, this is not truly the case. The ground floor is an open arcade of three segmented arches more typical of Renaissance Dutch and English market halls. The upper floor however,
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