Public Utilities

Basic services have been traditionally provided by British Gas, Southern Electric, Wessex Water (for water and sewerage) and British Telecom. Following the privatisation of these services and competition within the various industries, these services can now be bought from other providers. This has now reached the position whereby the Gas Companies will supply you with electricity and vice versa. The means of delivery (the gas pipes and the electricity grid) are common; the competition being in competitive pricing through improved commercial practice.

The reliability of the electricity supply to Broadmayne went through a bad patch a few years ago. This was a little ironic since, whilst the pylons of the very high voltage national grid march their way across the skyline through the southern part of the village, tending to spoil some of the views, the low-voltage local supply comes across the farmers’ fields on apparently rather insubstantial wooden poles. There was a period when there was a significant correlation between strong winds and rain and a breakdown in the local supply. It seems now to be much improved.

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Post

Postal services are provided at the village shop.

Mail collections are made twice a day (once a day at the weekends) and there is a house-to-house mail delivery around the village each weekday in the morning.

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Public Transport

The bus services to Dorchester have been improved in the last couple of years. Currently there are some ten buses each way each day except Sundays. The last bus back from Dorchester is just after 10.30 pm.

Dorchester provides access to the wider transport networks –to national coach services, trains to Bath and Bristol and eastwards to London, as well as to the primary road network – although Dorchester itself is some 40 miles from the nearest national motorways. Cross-Channel ferries operate from Poole to Cherbourg, and air services are available from regional airports at Hurn (Bournemouth) and Southampton.

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Shopping

Within the village, daily needs are catered for by the Corner House Stores, which arranges the delivery and sales of newspapers, and offers delivery of groceries for those unable to get out. The Broadmayne Carriage Company has petrol, diesel fuel and car repair facilities.

In other respects Broadmayne looks to Dorchester, the County town, for the greater part of commercial services outside the village. Dorchester provides both ‘edge-of- town’ facilities – supermarket, motor fuel, and ‘white goods’, as well as a reasonable range of town centre shops. The Farmers’ Market at Poundbury is very popular and there is also a weekly market in Dorchester on Wednesdays. Bournemouth, Poole and Yeovil all provide alternative larger shopping centres, well within an hour’s travelling by car or public transport. Weymouth, approx 6 miles away, is also popular for shopping, and also provides a range of leisure amenities attractions and diversions traditionally associated with a seaside town.

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Delivery to Houses

The traditional delivery of food to houses still occurs but probably to a lesser extent. An insomniac may be awake early enough to hear our local milkman delivering the daily ‘Pinta’ before the crack of dawn.

Daily and Sunday newspapers are also delivered – usually in time for breakfast. Some villagers make good use of the telephone to place their monthly order of frozen food for home delivery. With the burgeoning growth of the internet and digital television there are strong indications that the trend in ‘home shopping’ will grow.

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School

Broadmayne School is part of a pyramid of schools, being a village First school. At the age of nine, the children move to Middle schools either in Dorchester – St Osmund’s, or St Mary’s, Puddletown. At thirteen they move to the Dorchester Thomas Hardye Upper School.

Subsidised buses are provided for village children going to these schools. In the grounds of the village school, Broadmayne and West Knighton Pre-school has its own building, catering for pre-school children from Broadmayne and adjoining villages.

Click HERE for more info on Broadmayne school

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Health Care

Primary health care is provided by the GP together with the practice nurses; dispensing services are also provided.

Some residents use surgeries in Dorchester, where it is also necessary to go for dental care. Dorchester has a newly-constructed County Hospital which is also the centre for Accident and Emergency Services for the area.

Click HERE for more info on Broadmayne Surgery

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