Woodlands, Dorset

Village and civil parish in Dorset, England

Human settlement in England

Woodlands

The Church of the Ascension, Woodlands

Woodlands

Location within Dorset

Population| 522 2011 Census
OS grid reference| SU051090
Civil parish|

* Woodlands

Unitary authority|

* Dorset

Ceremonial county|

* Dorset

Region|

* South West

Country| England
Sovereign state| United Kingdom
Post town| WIMBORNE
Postcode district| BH21
Dialling code| 01202
Police| Dorset
Fire| Dorset and Wiltshire
Ambulance| South Western
UK Parliament|

* North Dorset

List of places

England
Dorset

50°52′52″N 1°55′41″W﻿ / ﻿50.881°N 1.928°W﻿ / 50.881; -1.928
A historical map of Woodlands, Dorset in 1945 Graph showing the occupational structure in Woodlands in 1881

Woodlands is a village and civil parish in Dorset, South-West England. It is five miles (8 km) north of Wimborne Minster.

The village is home to the Church of the Ascension which is a Grade II listed building. In 2001, the parish had a population of 544 but in 2011 the number had fallen to 522.[1]

## The village

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### Demography

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The population grew from 346 in 1811 to 476 in 1851 and then declined to 384 in 1911[2] but grew from a low point of 323 in 1951 to reach 544 in the 2001 census. In 2011, the village had a population of 522,[1] 272 males and 250 females;[3] the majority (504) were white British and Christianity (334) was the main religion.[4]

In 1831 the majority of the population (67) were employed as agricultural labourers,[5] and in 1881 that had increased to 70.[6]

### Housing

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In 2017, the average house price in Woodlands was £447,735 which is more than in neighbouring Verwood (£332,770) and Three Legged Cross (£352,353) but cheaper than nearby Holt (£699,607).[7]

### Recreation

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Remedy Oak golf club is south of the village.[8]

### Parish church

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Woodlands is home to the Anglican Church of the Ascension, a Grade II listed building.[9] The church is in the Diocese of Salisbury. The church was dedicated in 1892 and was given to the village by Harriet, the Countess of Shaftesbury, in memory of her husband Anthony who was the 8th Earl of Shaftesbury.[10] The church was designed by prolific church architect George Frederick Bodley who designed cathedrals in Tasmania and Washington.[11] The exterior of the church is in plain brick. Inside are three central columns arcading down the middle of the nave. On entering the church there is a large 12th-century circular stone font from Knowlton church (two miles west) which, according to tradition, was used for baptisms by Saint Aldhelm.[10]

## History

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Woodlands parish was established when the hamlets of Baggeridge, Woodlands and Knowlton (the earliest settlement) were detached from Horton in the 19th century. Woodlands village was then first recorded in 1244.[12] Woodlands was part of the Shaftesbury estate until after the Second World war.[11]

The parish is home to the hamlet of Knowlton with its prehistoric henges known as Knowlton Circles.

In 1870-72 John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales said that in Woodlands:

"The Duke of Monmouth, after the battle of Sedgemoor, was taken here in a ditch."[13]

The village is mentioned in 'Owen's book of fairs' in 1788 as having a yearly fair selling horses, cheese and toys on 5 July.[14]

Graph showing total population change in Woodlands between 1801 and 2011.

## References

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1. ^ a b Sillitoe, Neighbourhood Statistics - Neil (14 April 2008). "Detect browser settings". www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
2. ^ "Woodlands CP/Ch through time, Population Statistics, Total Population". visionofbritain.org.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
3. ^ "Woodlands (Parish) Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
4. ^ Sillitoe, Neighbourhood Statistics - Neil (14 April 2008). "Detect browser settings". www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
5. ^ "Woodlands CP/Ch through time | Industry Statistics | Males aged 20 and over, in 9 occupational categories". visionofbritain.org.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
6. ^ "Woodlands CP/Ch through time | Industry Statistics | Occupation data classified into the 24 1881 'Orders', plus sex". visionofbritain.org.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
7. ^ "House Prices in Woodlands, Wimborne, Dorset". www.rightmove.co.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
8. ^ "Remedy Oak Golf Course". Retrieved 18 January 2023.
9. ^ Historic England. "Church of the Ascension, Woodlands (Grade II*) (1120073)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
10. ^ a b "The Quintet Group of Parishes". www.dorsetquintet.org.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
11. ^ a b "Church of Ascension". verwood.org. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
12. ^ "Woodlands | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
13. ^ Wilson, John Marius (1870–72). Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales. Edinburgh: A. Fullerton & Co.
14. ^ Owen's Book of Fairs. 1788. p. 21.

## External links

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Media related to Woodlands, Dorset at Wikimedia Commons