This year, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the rededication of St Mary’s Church, Sturminster Marshall, we have put together an exciting programme of events.
Join the celebrations!
St Mary’s Church
Methodist Chapel
Police
The Railway
Letter from Henbury Manor at the beginning of World War 1
Letter continued
Sturminster Marshall FC 1951-2
Helping on the stall
Joining the St John Ambulance in 1941
Leaving the St John Ambulance now the war is over
Amateur Dramatics
The village in the snow
An early group photograph
Stocks Green
The vicar and his wife
The church choir
St Mary’s Church (2)
Signal Box
Village Flower Festival 1904
Group Photograph circa 1920s-30s
Sunday 21 March at 2.30pm
St Mary’s Church
Performance at 7pm
Saturday & Sunday
24 & 25 April, 11am - 5pm
St Mary’s Church and the Old School
Saturday 24 April at 7.30pm
St Mary’s Church
Saturday 22 May at 7.30pm
Saturday 12 June
Lindisfarne Field
Sunday 13 June
The Old School
Sunday 25 July
starts at 2.00pm
Saturday 21 August
St Mary’s Church
12.30 - 3.00pm
Saturday 18 September
Sunday 9 October
St Mary’s Church
Come & Sing Stainer’s Crucifixion
Learn, rehearse and perform this exciting work in an afternoon. Refreshments and hot buffet supper provided.
Village History Exhibition
Experience village life 150 years ago
Scroll down this page for more details
Concert: an evening of Dorset music and poetry
Including music by Ireland, Finzi, Dring, Clementi, Vaughan Williams. Wine and canapes.
A Victorian Parlour Evening
Supper and entertainment
Victorian Village Fete
Palm Court Cream Teas
Enjoy a delicious Dorset cream tea in the refined atmosphere of a bygone age, to the accompaniment of a Palm Court Trio.
Garden Games
Try your hand at croquet, boules, quoits, golf, darts.
Be refreshed by Pimm’s, punch and ice cream!
Church Tower Open Day
See the church bells in action, hand bell ringing demonstrations, Molly dancing at the Red Lion (a form of Morris dancing from the Fenland area of E Anglia, lively and colourful).
Harvest Home
A traditional harvest celebration with supper and entertainment
11am Parish Eucharist with the Bishop of Sherborne
Lunchtime Hog Roast
Village History Exhibition - Saturday & Sunday, 24 & 25 April
During the last few months we have been putting together a collection of memories, reminiscences and artefacts, kindly donated by local people, which illustrate the changing way of village life during the last century and a half.
These include old postcards, family photographs, letters, diaries, programmes of village events, newspapers, club reports, bills, deeds, wedding cards, maps, knick-knacks, coins, stamps, clothing, handiwork, items from home, work, shop and farm.
Wherever possible these objects have been scanned, filmed or photographed so that they can be included in a digital collection which we hope will form the basis of a heritage website which will preserve and widen access to the history of our village. We currently have a collection of almost two thousand items.
Reminiscences about past village life have been recorded and short movies showing aspects of village life today have been filmed.
Village History Exhibition
St Mary’s Church and the Old School, Sturminster Marshall
Saturday 24 & Sunday 25 April, 11am - 5pm
An exhibition which paints a picture of life in 1860 when the church was rededicated after a major restoration.
See what a Victorian Parlour and a Cottage Kitchen would have looked like
Find out about Farming and Transport at that time
What was life like in wartime
Visit a Victorian Schoolroom
Ancient Order of Foresters display
Watch short movies of aspects of village life
Live music at various times during the two days
Refreshments available all day
FREE ENTRY
Experience village life as lived 150 years ago
To see a very small selection of photographs and documents click on the ‘Start Slideshow’ button