Thornford

infobox UK place
country = England
latitude= 50.9168
longitude= -2.5626
official_name= Thornford
map_type = Dorset
population = 834
shire_district= West Dorset
shire_county = Dorset
region= South West England
constituency_westminster= West Dorset
post_town= SHERBORNE
postcode_district = DT9
postcode_area= DT
dial_code= 01935
os_grid_reference= ST604132

Thornford is a village in north west Dorset, England, situated in the Yeo valley four miles south west of Sherborne.

General

Thornford is in Thornhackett Parish, a combined parish comprising the villages of Thornford and Beer Hackett.

The village has a general store and post office, a pub, a primary school [http://www.thornford.dorset.sch.uk/ (Thornford CEVA)] , a Norman church [http://www.bath.ac.uk/~lismd/dorset/churches/thornford.html (St. Mary Magdalene)] , a village hall, a recreation field, a cricket club and a railway station.

There are a number of Grade II listed buildings in the village, the centre of which, dominated by a Victorian clock tower, was designated a Conservation area in 1994. The most recent Grade II listing (in February 2008) is the British Telecom telephone box.

There were 643 registered voters on the electoral register for Thornford in 2006.

The Parish Council

The Parish Council comprises seven elected members from Thornford and three from Beer Hackett, all of whom serve a four year term of office.

Transport

Thornford railway station is on the Heart of Wessex Line running between Bristol and Weymouth. Thornford is also served by the South West Coaches Ltd bus 200 running between Yeovil and Sherborne.

History

Thornford is mentioned in the Domesday Book where it is called "Torneford" and is listed as belonging to the Bishop of Salisbury."Domesday Book: A Complete Transliteration" London: Penguin, 2003. ISBN 0-14-143994-7 p.1411] Archeological finds suggest Bronze Age or earlier inhabitation. [Dorset County Archive] A Roman villa has been excavated close to the villageFact|date=June 2008.

References

External links

* [http://services.westdorset-dc.gov.uk/websites/ThornhackettPC/home.htm Thornhackett Parish Council web site]
* [http://www.thornford.dorset.sch.uk/ Thornford CEVA Primary School web site]
* [http://www.bath.ac.uk/~lismd/dorset/churches/thornford.html St. Mary Magdalene church]