Motcombe

Motcombe /ˈmɒtkəm/ is a village and civil parish in north Dorset, England. It lies about two miles (three kilometres) north of Shaftesbury. It is sited on Kimmeridge clay soil[1] beneath hills at the edge of the Blackmore Vale. The parish is one of the largest in Dorset.[2] In the 2011 census the parish had 611 dwellings,[3] 564 households and a population of 1,474.[4]

Motcombe
The Street, Motcombe
Motcombe Location within Dorset
Population	1,474 (2011)
OS grid reference	ST8526
Civil parish	Motcombe
Unitary authority	Dorset
Ceremonial county	Dorset
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	SHAFTESBURY
Postcode district	SP7
Dialling code	01747
Police	Dorset
Fire	Dorset and Wiltshire
Ambulance	South Western
UK Parliament	North Dorset

In 1905 Sir Frederick Treves described Motcombe as "a hamlet of gardens at the foot of the hill" and wrote of the village houses that they "are facing all ways, as if they were shy of the road or were undecided which way to turn."[5] The parish church of St Mary was rebuilt in 1846, although its font dates from Norman times.[2]

On the south-west edge of the village is Motcombe Park. Within the park is Motcombe House, built in 1893 in Tudor style,[2] and now home to Port Regis, a large private preparatory school.

Motcombe is within the Motcombe and Ham electoral ward, which also covers Ham, a neighbourhood of Gillingham to the west. The ward's population in the 2011 census was 3,216.[6] The nearest railway station is at Gillingham, although the line itself cuts through the outskirts of the village.