Durdle Door

The arch has formed on a concordant coastline where bands of rock run parallel to the shoreline. Here the rock strata run near vertical, and the bands of rock are quite narrow. Originally a band of resistant Portland Limestone ran along the shore, the same band which can be seen two miles down the coast forming the narrow entrance to Lulworth Cove. Behind this is a 400 ft (120 metre) band of various weaker rocks which are easily eroded, and behind this is a stronger and much thicker band of chalk, which forms the Purbeck Hills. The limestone ...

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Durdle Door, Durdle Door - Geology, Durdle Door - Tourism

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The Promenade Weymouth is a town in Dorset, England, situated on a sheltered bay – Weymouth Bay – and the natural harbour formed by the mouth of the River Wey on the English Channel coast. The town is eight miles south of Dorchester, and just north of the Isle of Portland. The district of Weymouth and Portland has a population of 63,648¹. The town is one of the most popular British seaside resorts, and a cross-channel ferry terminal. The borough of Weymouth and Portland has a reputation of being one of the sunniest places in Britain, and often is - rivalling other south ...

Including:

• Weymouth - History
• Weymouth - Weymouth Harbour
• Weymouth - Geology & ecology
• Weymouth - Tourism & other industries
• Weymouth - Transport
• Weymouth - Culture recreation and sport

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The earliest recorded use of the name was in AD 940 as Dorseteschire meaning the dwellers (saete) of Dornuuarana (Dorchester), the place of fisticuffs (Welsh: Dwrn, "fist" and gwarae, "play")[1]. The first known settlement of Dorset was by Mesolithic hunters, from around 8000 BC. Their populations were small and concentrated along the coast in the Isle of Purbeck, Weymouth and Chesil Beach and along the St ...

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Dorset, Dorset - History, Dorset - Physical geography, Dorset - Demographics, Dorset - Politics, Dorset - Trade industry and tourism, Dorset - Dorset people, Dorset - Settlements and communications

Read more here: » Dorset: Encyclopedia II - Dorset - History

Throughout Dorset there are a number of limestone ridges. These ridges support arable agriculture and calcareous grassland habitats, as well as aquifers. The largest and most notable of the limestone bands is the band of Cretaceous chalk which runs from the south west to the north east of the county and forms part of the Southern England Chalk Formation which underlies much of south of England, including Salisbury Plain, the Isle of Wight and the South Downs. The central Dorset section of the chalk formation is known as the Dorset Downs, and ...

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Geology of Dorset, Geology of Dorset - Downland, Geology of Dorset - Valleys, Geology of Dorset - Heathland, Geology of Dorset - Coastline

Read more here: » Geology of Dorset: Encyclopedia II - Geology of Dorset - Downland

Some natural bridges may look like arches, but they form in the path of streams that wear away and penetrate the rock. Pothole arches form by chemical weathering as water collects in natural depressions and eventually cuts through to the layer below. Natural Bridges National Monument is a superb place to view these bridges. ...

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Natural arch, Natural arch - Coastline arches, Natural arch - Wind eroded arches, Natural arch - Water eroded arches, Natural arch - Cave erosion, Natural arch - External link

Read more here: » Natural arch: Encyclopedia II - Natural arch - Water eroded arches

The geology of the Isle is complex. The northern part is Eocene clay (Barton beds), but where the land rises to the sea there are several parallel strata of Jurassic rocks, including Portland Limestone and the Purbeck beds. The latter include Purbeck marble, a particularly hard limestone which is capable of being polished (although in geological terms it is not marble). A ridge of Cretaceous chalk runs along the peninsula creating the Purbeck Hills, part of the southern England Chalk Formation which includes Salisbury Plain, the Dorset Downs ...

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Isle of Purbeck, Isle of Purbeck - Geology, Isle of Purbeck - The Isle

Read more here: » Isle of Purbeck: Encyclopedia II - Isle of Purbeck - Geology

Weymouth originated as a post-Conquest settlement on a constricted site to the south and west of Weymouth Harbour, part of the waste of Wyke Regis. The first definite mention of a settlement here is not noted until the 13th century, the likelihood being that the town developed from the mid 12th century onwards. (The few earlier references appear to be to the geographical feaure of the mouth of the River Wey from which the settlement took its name, not to the settlement itself). By 1252 it was sufficiently established as a se ...

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Weymouth, Weymouth - History, Weymouth - Weymouth Harbour, Weymouth - Geology & ecology, Weymouth - Tourism & other industries, Weymouth - Transport, Weymouth - Culture recreation and sport

Read more here: » Weymouth: Encyclopedia II - Weymouth - History

At the start of the Jurassic period a sea level rose flooding the Triassic landscape. For most of the Jurassic period Dorset was under a tropical sea, and marine life flourished. Sediments accumulated over time, mud in deep parts, sand in shallow parts, forming shale (Kimmeridge), limestone (Lulworth to Portland) and sandstone (Studland). The bodies of dead marine animals, including dinosaurs were preserved in these sediments. A large number of particularly high quality finds were uncovered at Kimmeridge and Lyme Regis. The waters slowly fell and dinosaur footp ...

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Jurassic Coast, Jurassic Coast - Formation, Jurassic Coast - Features of interest, Jurassic Coast - Gateway towns

Read more here: » Jurassic Coast: Encyclopedia II - Jurassic Coast - Formation

Dorset is famed in literature for being the native county of author and poet Thomas Hardy. Many of the places he describes in his novels in the fictional Wessex are in Dorset. The National Trust own Thomas Hardy's Cottage, in woodland east of Dorchester, and Max Gate, his house in Dorchester. Stalbridge was home of Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Poet William Barnes, authors Theodore Francis Powys, John le Carré, P.D. James and satirical novelist Thomas Love Peacock are also locals. The author John Fowles lived in ...

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Dorset, Dorset - History, Dorset - Physical geography, Dorset - Demographics, Dorset - Politics, Dorset - Trade industry and tourism, Dorset - Dorset people, Dorset - Settlements and communications

Read more here: » Dorset: Encyclopedia II - Dorset - Dorset people

Dorset's coastline is one of the most visited and studied coastlines in the world because it shows, along the course of 95 miles (including some of east Devon) rocks from the beginning of Triassic, through the Jurassic and up to the end of the Cretaceous, documenting the entire Mesozoic era with well preserved fossils. Particularly famous are the Triassic and Jurassic cliffs around Lyme Regis which have yielded many notable fossil finds, including Mary Anning's Ichthyosaur. The variety of geology leads to a variety of habitats, from the heat ...

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Geology of Dorset, Geology of Dorset - Downland, Geology of Dorset - Valleys, Geology of Dorset - Heathland, Geology of Dorset - Coastline

Read more here: » Geology of Dorset: Encyclopedia II - Geology of Dorset - Coastline

Tourism has for a long time been the largest industry in Weymouth, though tourism has declined a little as international tourism has grown. As well as its large, shallow sandy beach Weymouth has several museums and an aquarium. The Weymouth Pavilion, rebuilt in 1960 after a fire in 1954, is home to many events in the town as well as providing a base for local groups productions like the Weymouth Drama Club, as well as offering a wide range of touring productions. The town is also a gateway town situated approximately half-way along Jurassic ...

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Weymouth, Weymouth - History, Weymouth - Weymouth Harbour, Weymouth - Geology & ecology, Weymouth - Tourism & other industries, Weymouth - Transport, Weymouth - Culture recreation and sport

Read more here: » Weymouth: Encyclopedia II - Weymouth - Tourism & other industries

South-east Dorset, around Poole and Bournemouth, and the New Forest, lie on very unresistant Tertiary beds: Eocene clays (mainly London Clay and Gault Clay), sands and gravels. These thin soils support a heathland habitat which supports all seven native British reptile species. The River Frome estuary runs through this weak rock, and its many tributaries have carved out a very wide estuary. At the mouth of the estuary sand spits have been deposited turning the estuary into Poole Harbour, the second largest natural harbour in the world ...

See also:

Geology of Dorset, Geology of Dorset - Downland, Geology of Dorset - Valleys, Geology of Dorset - Heathland, Geology of Dorset - Coastline

Read more here: » Geology of Dorset: Encyclopedia II - Geology of Dorset - Heathland

Weymouth is situated on weak sand and clay rock which in most places along the Dorset Coast, except for narrow bands at Lulworth Cove, Swanage and Durdle Door, has been eroded and washed away. At Weymouth the weak rock has been protected by Chesil Beach and the strong limestone Isle of Portland that lies just offshore. The Isle of Portland also affects the tides of the area, and means that Weymouth Bay experiences a very unusual double low tide. Weymouth is separated from Dorchester ...

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Weymouth, Weymouth - History, Weymouth - Weymouth Harbour, Weymouth - Geology & ecology, Weymouth - Tourism & other industries, Weymouth - Transport, Weymouth - Culture recreation and sport

Read more here: » Weymouth: Encyclopedia II - Weymouth - Geology & ecology

Dorset County Council is based at County Hall in central Dorchester. Following the local council elections in May 2005, 24 Conservative, 16 Liberal Democrat, four Labour and one independent councillor sit on the county council. All Labour councillors were elected in the built up area of Weymouth and Portland, with rural areas returning Conservatives and Liberal Democrat councillors. This pattern is repeated at the national level. Dorset South is represented in Parliament by Labour MP Jim Knight, though this constituency was Labour's s ...

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Dorset, Dorset - History, Dorset - Physical geography, Dorset - Demographics, Dorset - Politics, Dorset - Trade industry and tourism, Dorset - Dorset people, Dorset - Settlements and communications

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Dorset has a population of 407,217, plus 165,370 in Bournemouth and 137,562 in Poole (total 710,149 - mid-year estimates for 2006). The following statistics exclude Poole and Bournemouth, which are no longer part of the administrative county. 91.3% of Dorset's population were born in England and 95.2% were born within the United Kingdom. 98.8% are indigenous, an extreme example of the disproportionately small ethnic minority population in rural areas. 78% of the population ...

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Dorset, Dorset - History, Dorset - Physical geography, Dorset - Demographics, Dorset - Politics, Dorset - Trade industry and tourism, Dorset - Dorset people, Dorset - Settlements and communications

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Most of Dorset's landscape falls into two categories, determined by the underlying geology. There are a number of large ridges of limestone downland, much of which were cleared of the native forest hundreds or even thousands of years ago and are mostly grassland and some arable agriculture. These limestone areas include a band of chalk which crosses the county from south-west to north-east incorporating Cranborne Chase, the Dorset Downs and Purbeck Hills. Between the areas of downland are large, wide clay vales (primarily Oxford Clay with so ...

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Dorset, Dorset - History, Dorset - Physical geography, Dorset - Demographics, Dorset - Politics, Dorset - Trade industry and tourism, Dorset - Dorset people, Dorset - Settlements and communications

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The principal industry in Dorset has traditionally been agriculture. It has not, however, been the largest employer for many decades as mechanisation has substantially reduced the number of workers required. Agriculture has become less profitable in recent years and the industry has declined further. In 2002, 1,903 km² of the county was in agricultural use, down from 1,986 km² in 1989, although the figure has fluctuated somewhat. Cattle, the principal animal stock in the county, fell from 240,413 to 178,328 in the same period, the dairy herds falling from 102,589 to 73,476. She ...

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Dorset, Dorset - History, Dorset - Physical geography, Dorset - Demographics, Dorset - Politics, Dorset - Trade industry and tourism, Dorset - Dorset people, Dorset - Settlements and communications

Read more here: » Dorset: Encyclopedia II - Dorset - Trade industry and tourism

Dorset is famed in literature for being the native county of author and poet Thomas Hardy. Many of the places he describes in his novels in the fictional Wessex are in Dorset. The National Trust own Thomas Hardy's Cottage, in woodland east of Dorchester, and Max Gate, his house in Dorchester. Stalbridge was home of Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Poet William Barnes, authors Theodore Francis Powys, John le Carré, P.D. James and satirical novelist Thomas Love Peacock are also locals. The ...

See also:

Dorset, Dorset - History, Dorset - Physical geography, Dorset - Demographics, Dorset - Politics, Dorset - Trade industry and tourism, Dorset - Dorset people, Dorset - Settlements and communications

Read more here: » Dorset: Encyclopedia II - Dorset - Dorset people

Tourism has for a long time been the largest industry in Weymouth, though tourism has declined a little as international tourism has grown. As well as its large, shallow sandy beach Weymouth has several museums and an aquarium. The town is also a gateway town situated approximately half-way along Jurassic Coast world heritage site, a 95 mile stretch of the coast important for its geology and unique landforms. In 1995 Weymouth and Portland received almost 500,000 visitors, of which 16,000 were from overseas. Visitors spent UK£76.2 million in the town in 1995². In 2002 the Nothe Fort museum had 12,000 visitors, a ...

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Weymouth, Weymouth - History, Weymouth - Weymouth Harbour, Weymouth - Geology & ecology, Weymouth - Tourism & other industries, Weymouth - Transport, Weymouth - Culture recreation and sport

Read more here: » Weymouth: Encyclopedia II - Weymouth - Tourism & other industries

Natural bridges can form from natural limestone caves, where paired sinkholes collapse and a ridge of stone is left standing in between, with the cave passageway connecting from sinkhole to sinkhole. Like all rock formations, natural bridges are subject to continued erosion, and will eventually collapse and disappear. One example of this was the double-arched Victorian coastal rock formation, London Bridge which ...

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Natural arch, Natural arch - Coastline arches, Natural arch - Wind eroded arches, Natural arch - Water eroded arches, Natural arch - Cave erosion, Natural arch - External link

Read more here: » Natural arch: Encyclopedia II - Natural arch - Cave erosion