Langton Matravers

Langton Matravers

Parish church of Saint George
Langton Matravers
 Langton Matravers shown within Dorset
Population 853 
OS grid referenceSY999788
Civil parishLangton Matravers
DistrictPurbeck
Shire countyDorset
RegionSouth West
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town SWANAGE
Postcode district BH19
Dialling code 01929
Police Dorset
Fire Dorset
Ambulance South Western
EU Parliament South West England
UK ParliamentSouth Dorset
List of places
UK
England
Dorset

Coordinates: 50°36′32″N 2°00′22″W / 50.6089°N 2.0061°W / 50.6089; -2.0061

Langton Matravers is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Purbeck, in the county of Dorset in the south of England. It is situated about 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Swanage town centre and 5 miles (8.0 km) south-east of Corfe Castle. In the 2011 census the civil parish had 381 households and a population of 853.[1]

The name Langton stems from "long town". Matravers stems from the name of Lord Mautravers who once resided there, and ultimately originates from the French "mal traverse".

The village is home to St. George's first school which was established at the end of the 19th century. Next door is The Old Malthouse, a preparatory school for boys and, more recently, girls which was founded in 1906, but closed in 2007. Two other preparatory schools Durnford School and Spyway used to be located in the village. Both Durnford and Spyway were closed earlier; Ian Fleming author of the James Bond novels was educated at Durnford.[2]

Leeson House, a Grade II listed 19th-century house, is now a field studies centre located in the village, it also used to be a pre-prep school for younger boys until the 1960s.

The village is within walking distance of the Jurassic Coast. The Purbeck Folk Festival is held annually at a farm near the village.

Museum

Langton Matravers Museum

Langton Matravers Museum is located in St George's Close, behind the parish church of St George. The museum focuses on the quarrying industry (of Purbeck Marble and Purbeck Limestone) which has historically been important for the village. The museum occupies a former coach house, and houses approximately 25,000 artefacts.

Governance

Langton Matravers is the major part of an electoral ward called Langton. This stretches south to the English Channel and includes Worth Matravers. The total population for the ward at the 2011 census was 1,491.[3] For governmental purposes it lies within the Purbeck local government district, the South Dorset constituency of the House of Commons and the South West England constituency of the European Parliament. The first Langton Matravers Parish Council was elected in 1894.

References

  1. "Area: Langton Matravers (Parish). Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
  2. "Bond 'based on Elizabethan spy'". BBC. 31 October 2008. Retrieved 2009-09-02.
  3. "Langton ward 2011.Retrieved 27 Feb 2015".

External links

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