Removals to Dorset

Dorset is a picturesque, rural county on the English Channel. Due to its slower pace of life, it is a popular place to move to among families and the retired. And if you require removals to Dorset and are of pensioner age, according to Prudential this affluent part of the country is the perfect place to settle to enjoy travel, good health, a high life expectancy and more days of sunshine than the rest of the country.

Whatever your reasons for moving to Dorset, furniture removal company Hamiltons will organise expert UK removals. We organise home and office moves to all parts of South West England, including to the towns of Dorchester, Weymouth, Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch, Sherborne, Wareham, Shaftesbury, Lyme Regis, Portland and Swanage, as well the surrounding villages.

Moving to Dorset

Dorset has a population of around 750,000, of which 19,000 live in the county town of Dorchester, a historic market town where author Thomas Hardy was born. Reasons for organising removals to Dorset include employment, and the county’s stunning scenery including its beautiful sandy beaches.

Employment: Historically the county’s economy was mainly based around farming, fishing and mining. Now, however, it is geared towards the service industry and tourism, with more than 37,000 people employed in the tourist industry. It also has a strong military presence which brings further employment opportunities, and in addition, major organisations include JP Morgan (banking and financial services), Sunseeker International, defence and aerospace company BAE Systems, and Bournemouth University.

Education: Dorset has a mix of comprehensive, grammar and independent schools, and the state schools generally achieve above average GCSE results. Among the prestigious private schools include the 16th century Sherborne School, a boys’ boarding school which has its roots in the 8th century, and Sherborne Girls. Higher educational establishments include Bournemouth University with campuses in Bournemouth and Poole.

Quality of Life: Property in Dorset is highly sought after because the county offers a good quality of life. Among the many draws is its picturesque scenery (includingareas of Outstanding Natural Beauty), lively towns such as Weymouth, wonderful beaches including Christchurch and Bournemouth, and opportunities for walking, horse riding, cycling, swimming, sailing, rowing and kite surfing. In addition, the county hosts a number of festivals throughout the year, including the Great Dorset Steam Fair near Blandford (one of the largest outdoor shows in the UK), the Bournemouth Air Show, the Dorset County Show, and various folk festivals.

Focus on Dorset

South West Dorset

Half of the population live in South West Dorset, while the rest of the county is mainly countryside. The South West encompasses the seaside towns of Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch, as well as the smaller towns of Wareham, Wimborne, Ferndown, Upton and Ringwood. Poole, which has the second largest population in the county after Bournemouth, contains the prestigious suburb the Sandbanks, which commands some of the highest property prices in the world.

On the transport side, South West Dorset is well served by motorways and trunk roads, including the M27 which links to the M3 and London. In addition, there are several train stations in this part of the county, including Weymouth railway station, which runs a service to London.

For UK and international travel, Poole and Bournemouth run a regular ferry service to the Channel Islands and onto the continent. Bournemouth Airport, which the Daily Telegraph ranked as one of the best airports in the world, serves over 50 destinations including Italy, Turkey, Tunisia, Egypt, Cyprus, Greece and France.

Dorchester and Surrounding Area
Dorchester, the largest settlement in Dorset, is a market town known for being the birthplace of Thomas Hardy. It has a long history that stems back to pre-historic times, and was also a Roman settlement (evidence of the old Roman walls still remain). Among the major attractions include Hardy’s National Trust run town house, Max Gate, which was designed by the author and contains much of Hardy’s furniture. Other popular places to visit include the Dorset County Museum, which contains a number of historical and archaeological artefacts relating to the region (including Hardy’s study), the Tutankhamun Exhibition, and the Dinosaur Museum.

The town is seeing some ongoing development, including Poundbury, which will swell the population by 6,000. HRH Prince Charles was involved in the design of the development, which has traditional housing and is set to encourage alternative uses of transport rather than car travel.

For those who are moving to Dorchester to work outside the town, it benefits from two railway stations: the Dorchester South, which goes to Bournemouth and Southampton, and the Dorchester West, which goes to Bath and Bristol.

West Dorset
This government district is known as one of the UK’s best districts to live in. It is mainly rural, although it includes towns such as Dorchester, Sherborne, Bridport and Lyme Regis, and has a largely older population.

If you are moving to the market town of Sherborne, it has a number of buildings of historic interest. Among them is Sherborne Abbey and the 16th century Sherborne New Castle, home of Sir Walter Raleigh, with the ruins of a 12th century old castle in its grounds. Bridgport has mainly buildings from the 1900’s, with some exceptions, and is near the UK’s natural wonder, the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, which runs from Orcombe Point to Swanage and is a prime tourist attraction. Lyme Regis, also on the Jurassic Coast, is an important area for fossil finds.

East Dorset
This local government district was originally called Wimborne and benefits from having the highest male life expectancy in the UK. It popular place to move to as it is close to the New Forest and Bournemouth, which reflects its growing population. Some of the large villages in the area include Alderholt and Ferndown. St Ives, with the nearby Moors valley Country Park is a popular place for families to visit as it has a steam railway, high ropes, golf course and places to walk and cycle.

North Dorset
This local government district is mainly made up of countryside, although there are a sprinkling of towns such as Shaftesbury, Sturminster Newton and Gillingham. Shaftesbury is regarded as one of the oldest and highest towns in the country and attracts a number of tourists throughout the year. Attractions include the independent shops on the high street, the abbey and the old Wardour Castle (the new Wardour Castle has been bought by fashion designer Jasper Conran).

Sturminster Newton was home to one of the largest cattle markets in England, but now has a housing development in its place. Hardy lived in the town for a while and it became inspiration as the backdrop for the novel Tess of the d’Urbervilles.  Gillingham has a rising population, partly because of its road and rail transport links, its shops and industrial parks. The vicarage once played host to artist John Constable, who painted the old town bridge, now in the Tate Gallery.

If you need to arrange removals to Dorset, house movers Hamiltons can help and have 20 years experience in the removals industry.