Compton Abbas

Village and civil parish in Dorset, England

Human settlement in England

Compton Abbas

Unitary authority

Dorset

Ceremonial county

Dorset

Region

South West

CountryEnglandSovereign stateUnited KingdomPost townSHAFTESBURYPostcode districtSP7Dialling code01747PoliceDorsetFire Dorset and Wiltshire Ambulance South Western UK Parliament

North Dorset

List of places: UK; England; Dorset

50°57′56″N 2°11′19″W / 50.9655°N 2.1885°W / 50.9655; -2.1885

Compton Abbas is a village and civil parish in north Dorset, England. It lies 3 miles (5 kilometres) south of the town of Shaftesbury. It is sited on greensand strata on the edge of the Blackmore Vale,^[2] below the chalk downs of Cranborne Chase. On top of these hills is Compton Abbas Airfield. The A350 road between Wiltshire and the south coast passes through the village. In the 2011 census the civil parish had a population of 216.^[1] The name Compton Abbas derives from the Saxon "cumb-ton", meaning 'village in a narrow valley', plus "abbas" which refers to Shaftesbury Abbey (the land was owned by the abbess). The church, St. Mary's, was built in 1866 to replace the older structure which was more remote from the village.

Places of interest

The tower of the Church of St Mary in East Compton is a Grade I listed building.

Politics

Compton Abbas is part of the North Dorset constituency for elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Compton Abbas is part of the Beacon ward for elections to Dorset Council.^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b "Area: Compton Abbas (Parish), Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
^ Ralph Wightman (1983). Portrait of Dorset (4 ed.). Robert Hale Ltd. p. 16. ISBN 0-7090-0844-9.
^ "Area profile for Beacon - Dorset Council". gi.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk. Retrieved 24 February 2024.