- Charlton Down
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Charlton Down is a village four miles (6 km) north of Dorchester, the old Roman town in Dorset, in the West of England.
History
The village of Charlton Down developed from the site of Herrison Hospital, an old Victorian Mental Hospital. In 1920 it became the Dorset County Mental Hospital, and in 1940 was renamed Herrison Hospital. The new village now consists of three large buildings, about 400 houses, Herrison Hall (the village hall), a shop and a Fitness Centre. A nursing home and Close Care apartments have recently been built. Some apartments have been sold and the Nursing Home, called Chestnut House has recently opened and is receiving its first residents. See also Herrison Hospital By Hugh Jaques • County Archivist
The N.H.S. pulled out of Herrison in 1992 and Bellway Homes bought the plot and later sold off the 3 large buildings for conversion into apartments by a private developer. Each of these buildings, Greenwood and Redwood built in 1864 and Herrison House built in 1904 now have about 70 high quality apartments.
Herrison Hospital, was self contained with all facilities including a church, sports facilities, allotments for growing their own food, radio station, Gothic Chapel, and social centre. The Herrison Hospital bus was an unusual but frequent daily service, unusual in that it was not operated under a road service licence and neither were the buses PSV-licenced. Instead the buses displayed official discs indicating that they were exempt from road tax. Strictly speaking the service was for patients, staff and visitors to the hospital, but there was a lively local trade between Dorchester and the housing estates at Charminster.
Facilities
The hospital was eventually a 400 acre site. Now cottage style terrace houses, semi-detached and detached 3, 4, and 5 bed roomed house with all modern services fill the old site. The original cricket ground has a new pavilion and there is a thriving cricket club in the summer.
The Charlton Down Village has a Londis Shop and a cash dispenser.Day Nursery at Village Hall
The village is one of the few in the area without a church or pub.
Regular functions at Charlton Down in the Village Hall Monday Martial Arts, Baby Sensory Classes, Exercise Class Tuesday Table Tennis, Youth Club, Zumba Wednesday Jelly Tots, History Group, W.I., Water Colour Classes, Zumba Thursday Tai Chi, Yoga, Ballroom Dancing Tuition, Zumba Friday Pilates, Weightwatchers, Kindermusik, SlimDance, Ballroom Dancing. Saturday Jive Riot. Yoga
External links
Categories:- Villages in Dorset
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