Ten fun facts you might not know about Dorset!

Here at Wyke we love Dorset! Here are some fun facts that may make this beautiful part of the world seem even more amazing!!

1- The first ever site to make the UNESCO World Heritage list was the Jurassic coast.

2- The first ever fossil shop in Britain was opened in Lyme Regis by a palaeontologist called Mary Anning in 1826. Her findings contributed to important changes in scientific thinking about the history of the earth and prehistoric life, however she was never allowed to join the Geological Society because she was a woman.

3- Dorset’s village of Howell is home to the oldest post-box in the UK! Being 163 years old it has seen five monarchs rule and still bears the initials of Queen Victoria.

4- It is stated that john Cleese’s Character Basil Fawlty was from Swanage.

5- Dorset is home to the ‘Bendiest road in Britain’ with a mile long stretch of the B3081

6- Abbotsbury Swannery was part of a Benedictine Monastery built in the 1040s at this time the monks farmed the swans to produce food. Another fact about Abbotsbury is that it is the only place in the world where you can walk through a colony of nesting mute swans.

7- The first Unidentified Flying Object ever seen in British skies was recorded on 8 December 1733 in Fleet, Dorset. This preceded the term UFO by more than 200 years.

8- As well as being the backdrop to a number of films Dorset has has also been used in a number of music videos, including ‘Shout’ by Tears for Fears, ‘Yellow’ by Coldplay, ‘Carry you home’ by James Blunt and ‘On a Saviour’s Day’ by Cliff Richard.

9- It is speculated that the ancient hillfort of Badbury Rings where the great battle of Badon took place in which King Arthur won his crown by killing at least 160 Saxon men single handily.

10- In 1997 a 12 mile diameter crater on Mars was named after Swanage