Lytchett Matravers
Encyclopedia
Lytchett Matravers is a large village and civil parish in the District of Purbeck within Dorset
, England
. The village has a population
of 3,309.
and 7 miles (11.3 km) north west of Poole
. The elevation gives views from many parts of the village to Poole Harbour and the Purbeck hills. The village lies within the Green Belt
of the Poole/Bournemouth conurbation.
Lytchett Matravers was once on the original main Poole to Dorchester road, but for the past one hundred and fifty years there has been no main road through the village. Nevertheless, there is some through commuter traffic between the main A350 and A35
.
s to a village with a moderately high housing density. During the 1920s and 1930s, a certain amount of ribbon development
took place on the main access road and this continued into the 1950s with the addition of small scale infill housing behind. Since the 1970s development has mainly been through relatively large housing estate
s. During the 1960s and early 1970s many of the original cob and thatch cottages were either demolished or changed beyond recognition, nevertheless there are still some thirteen original thatched cottages in the village, some of which retain their original curtilage. Recently, some modern developments have included a smattering of thatched houses in an attempt to acknowledge the local vernacular style.
church, dedicated to St Mary the Virgin
, lies just to the west and outside the village; its location is a reminder that the village envelope was relocated from that area onto higher ground in the 14th century following the Black Death
. Parts of the church date to the 13th century, but the North Aisle is later, and dates from the 14th century. The church was much restored in the early 16th century. The 12th century tower has six bells. A Methodist church
is also located near the centre of the village.
The village has a total of five shops, one of which is a traditional village shop and butcher called L.A Hannams and Sons, which is located opposite Lytchett Matravers Primary School. The village also contains a Tesco Express store, a pharmacy, a hairdressing salon and an estate agent. In addition, there is a garage which sells vehicles, but not petrol, and a separate business on the same site which carries out vehicle repairs. The Chequers Inn, one of the two village pubs, has foundations which may date from the relocation of the village in the fourteenth century.
Most of the village amenities are situated on the High Street, including a modern parade of four shops, a modern library run by the County Library Service as well as a pharmacy and doctors' surgery. The two village pubs are at either end of the High Street and the village hall is at the centre, not far from the shops. The village war memorial is also on the High Street while the village Youth Centre is just off the western end.
and Bournemouth
. The village is home to a substantial number of retired and semi-retired people. Nevertheless, the village primary school was enlarged and relocated in 1990 and attracts children from outside its catchment area. Secondary education is provided by Lytchett Minster Upper School which is situated 2 miles (3.2 km) from the village.
club and a British Legion Club. For young people there are Beavers
, Cubs
and Brownies, as well as Scouts and Guides
, an Army Cadet Force
Unit and a Youth Parish Council.
The monthly Parish Magazine, which is taken by about 700 households, usually includes articles on the activities of twelve clubs and societies in the village and there are at least as many more which are not covered. In October 2001, a typical month, there was a booking listed for the village hall every day of the month and several clubs and societies meet either in their own premises or at a venue elsewhere in the village. For many years, the village has held a traditional carnival during June. The village is twinned with the French village of Les Pieux
, situated 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from Cherbourg, linked by a regular car ferry with Poole.
There are planning applications being sought on the land nearest the A35 (December 2007). This will lead to new housing for a considerable number of people.
The Draft Regional Spatial Strategy for the South West includes specific provision for 2,750 new homes to be built on green land between Lytchett Minster and Lytchett Matravers. Opposition to this new proposal has been voiced by villagers of Lytchett Matravers, Lytchett Minster
and Upton
, by the local planning authority and the local Member of Parliament that serves these communities.
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The village has a population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 3,309.
Location
The village is situated on rising ground in a landscape of small valleys, open fields and woods 5 miles (8 km) north of WarehamWareham, Dorset
Wareham is an historic market town and, under the name Wareham Town, a civil parish, in the English county of Dorset. The town is situated on the River Frome eight miles southwest of Poole.-Situation and geography:...
and 7 miles (11.3 km) north west of Poole
Poole
Poole is a large coastal town and seaport in the county of Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester, and Bournemouth adjoins Poole to the east. The Borough of Poole was made a unitary authority in 1997, gaining administrative independence from Dorset County Council...
. The elevation gives views from many parts of the village to Poole Harbour and the Purbeck hills. The village lies within the Green Belt
Green belt
A green belt or greenbelt is a policy and land use designation used in land use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighbouring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges which have a linear character and may run through an...
of the Poole/Bournemouth conurbation.
Lytchett Matravers was once on the original main Poole to Dorchester road, but for the past one hundred and fifty years there has been no main road through the village. Nevertheless, there is some through commuter traffic between the main A350 and A35
A35 road
The A35 is a trunk road in southern England, running from Honiton in Devon, that then passes through Dorset and terminates in Southampton, Hampshire...
.
History
Lytchett Matravers has developed over the 20th century from being a hamlet of mostly scattered cottages with large curtilageCurtilage
The curtilage is an important legal term to define the land immediately surrounding a house or dwelling, including any closely associated buildings and structures, but excluding any associated 'open fields beyond'. It defines the boundary within which a home owner can have a reasonable expectation...
s to a village with a moderately high housing density. During the 1920s and 1930s, a certain amount of ribbon development
Ribbon development
Ribbon development means building houses along the routes of communications radiating from a human settlement. Such development generated great concern in the United Kingdom during the 1920s and the 1930s, as well as in numerous other countries....
took place on the main access road and this continued into the 1950s with the addition of small scale infill housing behind. Since the 1970s development has mainly been through relatively large housing estate
Housing estate
A housing estate is a group of buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Accordingly, a housing estate is usually built by a single contractor, with only a few styles of house or building design, so they tend to be uniform in appearance...
s. During the 1960s and early 1970s many of the original cob and thatch cottages were either demolished or changed beyond recognition, nevertheless there are still some thirteen original thatched cottages in the village, some of which retain their original curtilage. Recently, some modern developments have included a smattering of thatched houses in an attempt to acknowledge the local vernacular style.
Amenities
The Church of EnglandChurch of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
church, dedicated to St Mary the Virgin
St Mary the Virgin, Lytchett Matravers
St Mary the Virgin, usually called St Mary's, is a church situated on the edge of Lytchett Matravers village in Dorset, England, and is part of Salisbury Diocese.-Foundation:...
, lies just to the west and outside the village; its location is a reminder that the village envelope was relocated from that area onto higher ground in the 14th century following the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
. Parts of the church date to the 13th century, but the North Aisle is later, and dates from the 14th century. The church was much restored in the early 16th century. The 12th century tower has six bells. A Methodist church
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
is also located near the centre of the village.
The village has a total of five shops, one of which is a traditional village shop and butcher called L.A Hannams and Sons, which is located opposite Lytchett Matravers Primary School. The village also contains a Tesco Express store, a pharmacy, a hairdressing salon and an estate agent. In addition, there is a garage which sells vehicles, but not petrol, and a separate business on the same site which carries out vehicle repairs. The Chequers Inn, one of the two village pubs, has foundations which may date from the relocation of the village in the fourteenth century.
Most of the village amenities are situated on the High Street, including a modern parade of four shops, a modern library run by the County Library Service as well as a pharmacy and doctors' surgery. The two village pubs are at either end of the High Street and the village hall is at the centre, not far from the shops. The village war memorial is also on the High Street while the village Youth Centre is just off the western end.
Community facilities
The village hall is a substantial building, constructed in 1972 to replace the ailing Jubilee Hall, which was largely of timber and corrugated iron construction. The new hall provides a large room with a stage, along with a smaller meeting room, kitchen and toilets. A small parish council office is attached to the side of the village hall which is furthest away from the High Street. The village hall is on relatively high ground and is immediately above the Recreation Ground which is just large enough for two small football pitches in the winter months and a cricket pitch in the summer. A children's play area is on the southern edge of the Recreation Ground as is the an all-weather basketball court and skateboarding area. Adjacent to the village hall, single storey brick buildings situated in a car park alongside the High Street provide changing facilities for the Recreation Ground and a Scout hut for the 1st Lytchett Matravers scouts.Landmarks
With the exception of the Rose and Crown pub which is about one hundred years old, the Chequers Inn which is much older still and the Heath Cottage which houses the doctors' surgeries and medical centre, most of the buildings in the High Street are modern. There are still open fields near the centre of the village and many within its built up boundaries.Economy
A small number of businesses run in or from the village. Most of those of working age however, commute elsewhere in Dorset for their work, chiefly to PoolePoole
Poole is a large coastal town and seaport in the county of Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester, and Bournemouth adjoins Poole to the east. The Borough of Poole was made a unitary authority in 1997, gaining administrative independence from Dorset County Council...
and Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
. The village is home to a substantial number of retired and semi-retired people. Nevertheless, the village primary school was enlarged and relocated in 1990 and attracts children from outside its catchment area. Secondary education is provided by Lytchett Minster Upper School which is situated 2 miles (3.2 km) from the village.
Sport and recreation
There are active sports clubs and many other social and recreational clubs in the village. The football club Lytchett Red Triangle is particularly active, there is a cricketCricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
club and a British Legion Club. For young people there are Beavers
Beaver Scouts
Beaver Scouts, often shortened to Beavers, is the youngest section of Scouting operated by The Scout Association in the United Kingdom. The core age range for Beaver Scouts is six to eight years, though exceptions can be granted. Individual sections of Beaver Scouts, known as a Colony, are run by...
, Cubs
Cub Scout
A Cub Scout is a member of the section of the worldwide Scouting movement for young persons, mainly boys normally aged about 7 to 11. In some countries they are known by their original name of Wolf Cubs and are often referred to simply as Cubs. The movement is often referred to simply as Cubbing...
and Brownies, as well as Scouts and Guides
Girl Guides
A Guide, Girl Guide or Girl Scout is a member of a section of some Guiding organisations who is between the ages of 10 and 14. Age limits are different in each organisation. It is the female-centred equivalent of the Scouts. The term Girl Scout is used in the United States and several East Asian...
, an Army Cadet Force
Army Cadet Force
The Army Cadet Force is a British youth organisation that offers progressive training in a multitude of the subjects from military training to adventurous training and first aid, at the same time as promoting achievement, discipline, and good citizenship, to boys and girls aged 12 to 18 and 9...
Unit and a Youth Parish Council.
The monthly Parish Magazine, which is taken by about 700 households, usually includes articles on the activities of twelve clubs and societies in the village and there are at least as many more which are not covered. In October 2001, a typical month, there was a booking listed for the village hall every day of the month and several clubs and societies meet either in their own premises or at a venue elsewhere in the village. For many years, the village has held a traditional carnival during June. The village is twinned with the French village of Les Pieux
Les Pieux
Les Pieux is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France. It is the head commune of the Canton of les Pieux, and of the communes community of les Pieux.Les Pieux is also twinned with Lytchett Matravers....
, situated 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from Cherbourg, linked by a regular car ferry with Poole.
Future plans
A group of villagers have undertaken a Village Appraisal under the name of "Lytchett Matravers Parish Plan" This report explains the consultation process undertaken, details the concerns of villagers as they emerged during the process (in approximate order of priority) and sets out in an Action Plan those actions necessary to address the concerns of the villagers of Lytchett Matravers.There are planning applications being sought on the land nearest the A35 (December 2007). This will lead to new housing for a considerable number of people.
The Draft Regional Spatial Strategy for the South West includes specific provision for 2,750 new homes to be built on green land between Lytchett Minster and Lytchett Matravers. Opposition to this new proposal has been voiced by villagers of Lytchett Matravers, Lytchett Minster
Lytchett Minster
Lytchett Minster is a small village in the English county of Dorset. Lytchett Minster is on the A35 road, the main route between the towns of Poole and Dorchester...
and Upton
Upton, Dorset
Upton is a village in south east Dorset, England. It is the second largest village in Purbeck-Geography:The village is built around a road junction where the Blandford to Hamworthy road crosses the main Poole to Dorchester road. The Poole suburbs of Hamworthy and Turlin Moor adjoin the village to...
, by the local planning authority and the local Member of Parliament that serves these communities.