About Shipton Gorge

News

NOTICE: The next meeting of the Parish Council will take place at 7pm on Thursday 11th September 2025 at Shipton Gorge Village Hall. If you have any queries please contact the Clerk Debbie Hollings.

PUBLIC NOTE OF ROAD CLOSURE

TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF BROOK STREET, SHIPTON GORGE

DORSET COUNCIL has issued a Notice under Section 14 [2] of the Road Traffic Regulations Act 1984 as amended. All vehicles will be

prohibited from proceeding along BROOK STREET, SHIPTON GORGE between its junction with Home Farm Way and its junction with

Smacombe Lane, a distance of approximately 50 metres. The Notice is needed in order to comply with health and safety regulations

which require the provision of safe working areas and to minimise likelihood of danger to highway users. It will come into

operation between 0830 and 1530 on 30 July 2025 and remain in force for five days, however it is anticipated that the works will be

completed on 30 July 2025.

This Notice will enable Openreach safe access to replace pole.

The alternative route, which will be sign posted is as follows: Shipton Road - Barr Lane - Smacombe Lane

For further information about the work being undertaken and access arrangements, call Openreach on 03700 500 792. To discuss

this Notice, contact Dorset Council on 01305 221020 or use our website: www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/roadworks/enquiries. You can

also find this information online: dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/roadworks-events or read the council's guide to roadworks for general

information and advice.

Report a problem on Dorset Council's On-Line Reporting Portal

Residents can report a problem via Dorset Council’s online reporting portal.

The online service enables residents to pinpoint the exact location of an issue, attach a comment to describe the problem and add photos.

Once an issue has been reported, a unique reference number will be provided. Therefore, the reporter can track the progress of an issue and receive updates via email.

If you would like to report a problem, please head over to Dorset Council’s website here: https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/

Or, use some of these direct links below to report an issue in your area:

https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/…/report-a-problem-on…

Report a problem on a road or pavement (potholes, hedges, drainage etc):

Report a bin problem: https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/…/report-a-bin-problem

Report street cleaning issues (litter, dog fouling, vandalism etc): https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/bins…/street-cleaning

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NEXT PARISH COUNCIL MEETING is Thursday 10th July 2025 at 7pm in the Village Hall.

Contact the Parish Council if you need any help with anything at all, we will do our best to find a way to help if we can!

Are you passionate about your community? Do you want to help make a long-lasting change? Do you have innovative ideas for the council? Do you have concerns about a specific issue?

If this is you, then we need you. We need people from all backgrounds and experiences to put themselves forward to become a parish councillor.

Contact the clerk for more information or to have a chat about becoming a councillor.

The Bride Valley News (BVN) is the magazine of the Bride Valley Churches but contains a wide variety of information on news & events in villages around the valley, including of course Shipton Gorge!

We also have an online village diary where you can find out more about the events happening in and near the village. Click here to access the diary.

Shipton Gorge is three miles east of Bridport, twelve miles west of Dorchester and two miles from the Jurassic coast at Burton Bradstock.

The village of Shipton Gorge has its first reference in the Domesday Book of 1086 and is very much a working village with seven working farms still in the parish.

There are some 210 dwellings with over 400 inhabitants, many of whom have moved to the area to retire, but the village still has a fairly high proportion of working families and children. The houses are a mixture of old houses built of local stone, modern houses and bungalows.

Where is the Gorge?

There is no "gorge" in Shipton Gorge but it is an interesting and pretty village with high banked lanes, lovely houses and a community spirit. There are a number of thatched properties as well as listed buildings, one site of special scientific interest, two small woods and a network of public footpaths and bridleways to be explored.

One of the dominant features of the village is the church of St Martin which sits on a hill overlooking the main street with glorious views across the countryside. It has an early 15th century tower, a 13th century font and the exterior is floodlit for much of the year making it an important feature of the village both day and night.

You can find out more about our village, its residents, its history

and its amenities on this web site and we hope that you will come and visit us - we are a typical West Dorset village and very proud to be so!

We have an active community Facebook page

Shipton Gorge Aerial View