Misplaced Pages

#875124

35-448: The name Colehill originated in 1431 as Colhulle, becoming Colhill in 1518 and Collehill in 1547, later getting the simplified spelling of Colehill, but the origins of Colehill as a settlement predate this by a long way. Six round barrows, which can still be seen, show that people lived here as early as 2000 BC. The River Stour would have been navigable; there is evidence that in about 500 BC, peoples from Continental Europe were populating

70-457: A middle school ( St Michael's ) and a foundation school (Beaucroft Foundation School (SEND)). There is also a private school ( Dumpton's ). The main public hall is Colehill Memorial Hall, and nearby is the community library which was re-opened in February 2013. It is run by volunteers with some support from the then Dorset County Council and its successor council, Dorset Council . Colehill has

105-562: A pharmacy, a hairdressers, and three post offices and convenience stores. A parish plan for Colehill was published in 2008. Many of the planned actions have been implemented, including the community library mentioned above. A website was published in November 2008; it is updated regularly and all local organisations are encouraged to contribute. Colehill appears on Twitter and Facebook. Traffic calming in Middlehill Road has been introduced and

140-405: Is a unitary authority , being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council . The non-metropolitan county is smaller than the ceremonial county of Dorset , which also includes Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole . The council was created in 2019 when local government across Dorset was reorganised. The council has been under Liberal Democrat majority control since

175-654: Is a 61 mi (98 km) river which flows through Wiltshire and Dorset in southern England , and drains into the English Channel . The catchment area for the river and its tributaries is listed as 480 square miles (1,240 km ). It is sometimes called the Dorset Stour to distinguish it from other rivers of the same name in Kent, Suffolk and the Midlands. According to Brewer's Dictionary of Britain & Ireland ,

210-467: Is famous for its water mill and town bridge, which still bears the notice warning potential vandals that damaging the bridge is punishable by penal transportation . The river flows through a myriad of differing settings and scenery ( reed bed , open water, coastal, estuarine, river, streams, lowland heath) and as such is host to species such as the pipistrelle bat , harbour porpoise , great crested newt , medicinal leech , Desmoulin's whorl snail and

245-518: Is navigable as far upstream as Tuckton (the tidal limit) and whilst there is a low bridge at Iford, it is possible to navigate as far as the rapids which are 0.9 miles (1.5 km) upstream of Iford Bridge. Spring tides have been known to penetrate a further 0.9 miles (1.5 km) upstream, as far as Blackwater Bridge (the A338 road ). Boats can be hired from several yards and landings in the harbour and estuary area with kayaking and canoeing being popular on

280-523: The 2024 election . It is based at County Hall in Dorchester . Prior to 2019, the non-metropolitan county of Dorset had a two-tier structure of local government, with Dorset County Council serving as the upper-tier authority, and the six district councils of Christchurch , East Dorset , North Dorset , Purbeck , West Dorset , and Weymouth and Portland serving as lower-tier authorities. The boroughs of Bournemouth and Poole had both been removed from

315-464: The harbour into the English Channel. From source to estuary, the river falls approximately 750 feet (230 m) over its 60 mi (97 km) length. For many miles the river is followed by the route of the now disused Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway , which bridged the river four times in a 9 mi (14 km) section between Sturminster Newton and Blandford Forum. Because much of

350-437: The starlet sea anemone . There are many fish that live and use the river, which include; barbel, bream, chub, dace, grayling, perch, pike, roach, rudd, salmon, tench & trout. The harbour at Christchurch has also been used to land oysters, crab, lobster and cuttlefish, all of which were fished from the harbour itself. Bass and mullet are known to use the estuary for feeding and as a nursery. Downstream of Blandford Forum,

385-619: The "darksome pools o' stwoneless Stour" in his The Water Crowvoot . The source of the river is fed from greensand springs at Stourhead , in Wiltshire, where it forms a series of artificial lakes which are part of the Stourhead estate owned by the National Trust . It flows south into Dorset through the Blackmore Vale and the towns of Gillingham and Sturminster Newton . At Marnhull

SECTION 10

#1732858655876

420-473: The 1860s and rapid expansion took place in the 20th century. The population rose from 1786 in 1951 to 5370 in 1971. Several large estates of modern family homes were built and there is quite a lot of infill building. The Parish Church, Church of England , is St Michaels and All Angels . It was designed by Caröe in 1893 and is a half brick and half timber construction in the Arts and Crafts style. Nearby and close to

455-710: The Cranborne Road and 350 south of the Leigh Road A31. As of 2014 a significant part of Colehill (including the New Neighbourhoods) was designated as a parish ward of Wimborne. In part compensation areas of Stapehill, west of the Canford Bottom roundabout, were transferred from Ferndown to the Colehill parish ward. There are three electoral wards within the parish (Colehill East, Colehill Hayes & Colehill West). In

490-620: The River Stour, and as a junction for further tracks from Poole to Badbury Rings and on to Salisbury. Another track radiating eastward possibly set the line for what was to become in modern times the A31 . Bridges replaced the fords (Canford) in about 100 AD. There then followed the Saxon invasion and the formation of the Kingdom of Wessex . Agriculture became established and with it clearance of some small plots on

525-568: The South West, bringing the culture of the early Iron Age . Fortifications at Hengistbury Head and more forts inland were established then. Part of the tracks survive, running parallel to the river from the coastal fort through modern locations such as Parley and Stapehill to Badbury Rings . It is thought that the line of Middlehill Road derives from one of these very early tracks. Later in Roman times Wimborne developed as an important trading centre on

560-558: The Stour is host to an insect known as the Blandford Fly ( Simulium posticatum ) which is known for leaving painful bites on humans. Attempts have been made to rid the fly from the area with a special spray used on the larval habitats of the fly. The harbour at Christchurch and the lower reaches of the Stour and the Avon are host to a multitude of marinas, boat clubs and landing stages. The Stour

595-673: The Stour is joined by the River Cale and then (two miles downstream) by the River Lydden. At Blandford Forum the river breaks through the chalk ridge of the Dorset Downs , and from there flows south east into the heathlands of south east Dorset. At Wimborne Minster it is joined by the River Allen , and at its estuary at Christchurch it is joined by the River Avon before it flows through

630-430: The combined area of the former districts of East Dorset, North Dorset, Purbeck, West Dorset, and Weymouth and Portland. A non-metropolitan district of Dorset was created matching the new version of the non-metropolitan county. Dorset Council is legally the district council, and there is no separate county council; the district council also performs county council functions, making it a unitary authority. A shadow authority

665-477: The council has comprised 82 councillors representing 52 wards , with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. As part of the reforms creating the new council, it was specified that the first two elections in 2019 and 2024 should each be for a five year term of office, reverting to the normal four year terms used by other English local authorities from 2029 onwards. The council has its headquarters at County Hall at Colliton Park in Dorchester , which

700-472: The council. They therefore could have formed a majority administration alone, but opted instead to form an administration with the Green Party . Political control of the council since its formation in 2019 has been as follows: During the shadow period 2018–2019, Rebecca Knox, Conservative leader of the outgoing Dorset County Council, served as leader of the shadow authority. At the first formal meeting of

735-572: The forces of that kingdom against Locrinus. The two armies fight a battle at the river Stour where Locrinus is slain and Gwendolen becomes the ruler of both kingdoms, becoming the first queen regnant of the Kings of the Britons . The Stour also appears in more occasional fashion in The Faerie Queene . Thomas Hardy wrote about Overlooking the River Stour , while William Barnes similarly referenced

SECTION 20

#1732858655876

770-607: The late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. Archaeological investigations around 2010 near Corfe Mullen suggested that some of the artefacts from those quarries may be around 400,000 to 500,000 years old. In Medieval Welsh literature , the river was said to be the sight of an important battle and the dividing line between ancient Cornwall and Loegria (England). According to Geoffrey of Monmouth 's Historia Regum Britanniae , King Locrinus divorces Queen Gwendolen in favour of his secret lover, Estrildis . Returning to her native Cornwall, Gwendolen assembles all

805-522: The major roundabout on the A31 at Canford Bottom has been re-engineered. A parish initiative succeeded in rebuilding the Reef as a youth and community centre for the people of Colehill and Wimborne. Over £500K was raised locally and assistance given by East Dorset District Council. The building was completed in 2016 and is fully in use with the activities continuing to expand. There are a few houses in Colehill dating from

840-496: The name Stour rhymes with hour and derives from Old English meaning "violent", "fierce" or the "fierce one". The river burst its banks at Christchurch during the 2013–14 winter floods and 100 residents were evacuated. The Stour valley has produced rich evidence for early human (Palaeolithic) activity. Gravel pits in the lower reaches of the river (many underlying modern day Bournemouth) produced hundreds of Lower Palaeolithic handaxes when they were quarried, particular during

875-468: The new Dorset Council after its first elections in 2019, Spencer Flower was appointed leader of the council . He had been the last leader of the former East Dorset District Council . Following the 2024 election , the composition of the council was: The independent councillor sits in a group with the local party Independents for Dorset. The next election is due in May 2029. Since the first election in 2019

910-633: The new unitary Dorset Council (May 2019) these wards were joined with the Wimborne Minster East electoral ward to form a two-member electoral division ( Colehill & Wimborne Minster East ). Colehill became part of the Mid Dorset and North Poole constituency at the 2010 general election . 50°48′N 1°58′W  /  50.800°N 1.967°W  / 50.800; -1.967 [REDACTED] Media related to Colehill at Wikimedia Commons River Stour, Dorset The River Stour

945-405: The non-metropolitan county in 1997 to become unitary authorities, but remained part of the ceremonial county. Following consultation on proposals described as 'Future Dorset', which concluded in 2018, local government across the whole ceremonial county of Dorset was reorganised with effect from 1 April 2019. The nine previous councils (Dorset County Council, the six lower-tier district councils and

980-462: The old councils were abolished. The shadow authority continued to run the council until the inaugural election in May 2019. As a unitary authority, the council provides both district-level and county-level services. The whole area is divided into civil parishes , which form an additional tier of local government. Following the 2024 election, the Liberal Democrats had a two-seat majority on

1015-465: The river too. The Stour Valley Way is a designated long-distance footpath that follows almost all of the course of the river. White Mill , an 18th-century watermill on the river near Sturminster Marshall , is owned by the National Trust and open to the public. Dorset Council (UK) Dorset Council is the local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Dorset in England. It

1050-579: The river's course is across clay soil, the river's waterlevel varies greatly. In summer, low water level makes the river a diverse and important habitat , supporting many rare plants . In winter, the river often floods , and is therefore bordered by wide and fertile flood plains . A number of towns and villages in Dorset are named after the river, including East Stour , West Stour , Stourpaine , Stourton Caundle , Stour Row , Stour Provost , Sturminster Newton , and Sturminster Marshall . Sturminster Newton

1085-470: The sunny heathland slopes around Colehill. Over the centuries farms grew until, with the impetus of the Inclosure Acts (1750 to 1860), they were consolidated into the estates that we know of today - Kingston Lacy , Hanham and Uddens estates. There are two first schools in Colehill, (Colehill First School and Hayeswood First School), a primary school (St Catherine's RC Primary School & Kindergarten),

Colehill - Misplaced Pages Continue

1120-467: The two unitary authorities of Bournemouth and Poole) were all abolished. They were replaced by two unitary authorities: Dorset Council and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council . The way the changes were implemented was to redefine the non-metropolitan county of Dorset to remove the borough of Christchurch, which was merged with Bournemouth and Poole to create Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. The redefined non-metropolitan county therefore covered

1155-553: The war memorial at the centre of the village are the Triangle Woods which have village green status. There are areas of common land, a recreation ground at Oliver's Park, and a Local Nature Reserve at Leigh Common. The area is well wooded and the local Forestry Commission plantation at Cannon Hill is very popular for walking. The District Council's Core Strategy, approved in 2013, placed over half of East Dorset's New Neighbourhood development in Colehill; it comprises 630 homes along

1190-471: Was completed for Dorset County Council in 1955. On 14 May 2024, the new cabinet was announced, including Green Party councillor from Rodwell and Wyke , Clare Sutton. 'Lead councillors' (deputy portfolio holders) were scrapped to save money. Four councillors representing wards in Weymouth were appointed, which was significant as the previous Conservative cabinet had no members from Weymouth, despite it being

1225-561: Was established in May 2018 to oversee the transition, comprising all elected councillors from the five districts in the new Dorset Council area, plus all councillors on Dorset County Council except the five who represented divisions in Christchurch. Rebecca Knox, the Conservative leader of Dorset County Council, was appointed leader of the shadow authority. The new district and council formally came into being on 1 April 2019, at which point

#875124