Milton Abbas

Milton Abbas is a small picturesque village located about 5 miles southwest of Blandford Forum and 9.5 miles north-east of Dorchester.

SAT NAV postcode DT11 0BW (postcode of the church in the main street) (Google map)

Thatched cottages lining the High Street at Milton Abbas

In 1780 Joseph Damer, Lord Milton, who was the owner of Milton Abbey decided that the nearby town of Middleton was spoiling his peace and quiet and commissioned the architect Sir William Chambers and the landscape gardener Capability Brown to design a new village, Milton Abbas, in a wooded valley a bit further away and out of sight. Most of the original villagers were relocated her and the old village demolished. One of the original buildings, the Almshouses, were carefully taken down and re-erected in Milton Abbas and can still be seen today.

Milton Abbas

The main street consists of 36 almost identical thatched cottages, each cottage designed to house two families. They were built using cob which is a low-cost clay and straw brick material which has excellent insulation properties (also known as adobe). They were originally painted yellow but are now white-washed. Most of the houses are now single dwellings instead of double.

Some of the cottages can now be rented for holidays. Along the gently sloping street there is also a pub (The Hambro Arms http://www.hambroarms.com), a church, post office, a now redundant school building and the lovely Tea Clipper Tea Rooms http://teaclippertearooms.co.uk

St James Church is located halfway along the main street. It was built in 1779
Entrance to the Church. On the opposite side of the road you can see the Almshouses.
View of The Street from the churchyard in the dead centre of the village 🙂
Typical thatched cottage next to St James Church.
View down “The Street” on a winter’s morning.
The Hambro Arms DT11 0BP at Milton Abbas http://www.hambroarms.com is a pub and restaurant and also offers accommodation. AA 4-star rating.
Milton Abbas Post Office
Tregonwell Almshouse. The Almshouses were originally built in 1674 in the old town of Middleton. When Milton Abbas was built they were taken down and re-erected in the main street. An almshouse is charitable housing provided to people of need in a particular community. This often includes the poor, disabled, widows or the elderly who can no longer afford to pay rent. They were originally formed as extensions of the church system and were later taken on by local authorities or charities. The Almshouse still provides social housing to local families.
Milton Abbey is located about 1.5 miles away from Milton Abbas (20 minute walk). Next to the Abbey is a private school for day and boarding pupils. This exclusive school has around 225 pupils.

Related Pages: Blandford Forum / Cerne Abbas / Dorchester / Hambledon Hill