Dorset

Looking East along the River Frome - Photo: Richard Johns CCL

The oldest streets of this ancient settlement follow a Roman pattern of quarterly divisions, but this town really dates back to Saxon times. Not only was it a royal Saxon burial spot but its walls, which still exist in places, were earthen ramparts built by Alfred the Great to thwart Viking invaders. For centuries it was a port until the River Frome silted up in the Middle Ages.

The town had to be rebuilt following a fire in the mid-18^th century and on the outskirts is the spot where TE Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) was killed in a tragic motorcyle accident. He lived at nearby Clouds Hill. In the Saxon Church of St Martin is a sculpture of Lawrence, while the Church of Lady St Mary contains a stone coffin said to be that of King Edward the Martyr.

South Bridge in Wareham - Photo: Richard Johns CCL