Purbeck
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Purbeck District | |
|---|---|
 Shown within Dorset |
|
| Geography | |
| Status: | District |
| Region: | South West England |
| Admin. County: | Dorset |
| Area: - Total |
Ranked 117th 404.40 km² |
| Admin. HQ: | Wareham |
| ONS code: | 19UG |
| Demographics | |
| Population: - Total (2005 est.) - Density |
Ranked 345th 45,100 112 / km² |
| Ethnicity: | 98.8% White |
| Politics | |
| Purbeck District Council http://www.purbeck-dc.gov.uk/ |
|
| Leadership: | Leader & Cabinet |
| Executive: | Conservative |
| MPs: | Annette Brooke, Jim Knight |
Purbeck is a local government district in Dorset, England, named for the Isle of Purbeck. Its council is based in Wareham.
The district was formed under the Local Government Act 1972 on April 1, 1974, from the former municipal borough of Wareham, Swanage urban district and Wareham and Purbeck Rural District.
Contents |
[edit] Purbeck stone
Purbeck stone is a hard, semi-metamorphosed limestone, formed of shells of freshwater and brackish snails, which can be seen in cut slabs. The stone is hard enough to take a fine polish, giving it the name of "Purbeck marble", even though it is not metamorphosed by sufficient heat and pressure to have been converted into true marble. In seams of the stone, which lie between layers of softer marine clays and mudstone, laid down in repeated marine ingressions, mineral impurities give some Purbeck stone fine red and green varieties. Purbeck stone was first quarried in medieval times and can be seen in virtually all the cathedrals of the south of England, in columns and slab panels and flooring.
[edit] Settlements
- Settlements with a population over 2,500 are in bold.
- Affpuddle, Arne
- Bere Regis, Bloxworth
- Chaldon Herring, Church Knowle, Coombe Keynes, Corfe Castle
- East Lulworth, East Stoke
- Kimmeridge
- Langton Matravers, Lytchett Matravers, Lytchett Minster
- Morden, Moreton
- Steeple, Studland, Swanage
- Turners Puddle
- Wareham, West Lulworth, Winfrith Newburgh, Wool, Worth Matravers
- Upton
[edit] Places of interest
- Ballard Down, Blue Pool, Brownsea Island
- Chaldon Down, Chapman's Pool, Clouds Hill, Corfe Castle
- Dancing Ledge, Dunshay Manor, Durdle Door, Durlston Country Park
- Godlingstone Heath, Godlingstone Manor
- Hambury Tout
- Jurassic Coast (A World Heritage Site)
- Lulworth Castle, Lulworth Cove
- Kimmeridge
- Nine Barrow Down
- Old Harry Rocks
- Poole Harbour, Purbeck Heritage Coast
- Smedmore Hill, South West Coast Path, St Aldhelm's Head, Studland Bay, Swanage Railway, Swyre Head
- Tyneham
- Worbarrow Tout, Wareham Forest, Winspit, Wytch Farm
[edit] External links
| Districts of South West England |  |
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Bath and North East Somerset | Bournemouth | Bristol | Caradon | Carrick | Cheltenham | Christchurch | Cotswold | East Devon | East Dorset | Exeter | Forest of Dean | Gloucester | Isles of Scilly | Kennet | Kerrier | Mendip | Mid Devon | North Cornwall | North Devon | North Dorset | North Somerset | North Wiltshire | Penwith | Plymouth | Poole | Purbeck | Restormel | Salisbury | Sedgemoor | South Gloucestershire | South Hams | South Somerset | Stroud | Swindon | Taunton Deane | Teignbridge | Tewkesbury | Torbay | Torridge | West Devon | West Dorset | West Somerset | West Wiltshire | Weymouth and Portland |
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Counties with multiple districts: Cornwall - Devon - Dorset - Gloucestershire - Somerset - Wiltshire |
