4000 years ago there was a settlement 1 mile southwest of what we now know as Dorchester. Over the following 2000 years invaders came and the settlement was gradually fortified, growing in size all the while. By the time Vespasian stormed it in AD44, Maiden Castle, from Mai-Dun, (‘hill of strength’), covered 115 acres and was surrounded by triple ramparts.
The Romans settled in Maiden Castle for a while but soon established a new town, Durnovaria, which became Dorchester. Many relics of these times remain within the old town walls; in the grounds of County Hall is a Roman townhouse, with tessellated pavements and a mosaic. Maumbury Rings was an amphitheatre where all sorts of sporting ‘and other entertainment’ took place including well attended public executions until 1705.
Situated in Dorchester – the gateway to the Jurassic Coast – the award winning Dinosaur Museum brings together actual fossils, skeletons, and life-size dinosaur reconstructions with hands on and multimedia displays. The Museum is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and remains great fun for all the family.
If you are fascinated by ancient Egypt then a visit to the Tutankhamun Exhibition is a must. The internationally renowned exhibition accurately recreates Tutankhamun’s tomb, treasures and mummy, and is the only exhibition of its kind in Europe. It’s like stepping back in time to 1922 and the moment of the discovery.
Dorchester’s two other museums are housed within the same building. The Teddy Bear Museum has all new displays in unique and delightful setting. Enter the enchanting world of the teddy bear in this wonderful family museum. The Terracotta Warriors Museum is the only museum outside of China dedicated to the eight wonder of the ancient world and has superb museum replicas. Save money when you visit more than one of these museums with a Heritage Pass.
In its past, the town has had its share of famous and infamous men. Thomas Hardy is probably the best-known and Dorchester (Casterbridge) basks in his reflected glory.
In stark contrast, the drunken, blaspheming Judge Jeffreys arrived in Dorchester in September 1685 to serve justice on all those suspected of been linked with the failed rebellion of the Duke of Monmouth. The Bloody Assizes were held in the Oak Room of the Antelope Hotel and Judge Jeffreys, who had been instructed to show no mercy, had 74 rebels executed, many of whom had the slenderest of connections with the rebellion.
Jeffrey’s lodging in the High Street is now a restaurant, and is in fact one of the few medieval buildings left in Dorchester; like many similar towns, Dorchester had a series of disastrous fires in the 16th and 17th centuries which destroyed most of the buildings.
The Dorset County Museum close by, is the perfect place to view the rich history that surrounds Dorchester and the county of Dorset. If your interest is in Hardy’s Wessex then the museum also houses a reconstruction of Thomas Hardy Study, where you can listen to excerpts of his novels and see the background to his life on-screen in the ‘Writers’ Gallery’.