King Alfred statue, Shaftesbury Abbey

Middle schools (for ages 8-13) are a rarity in Dorset now. Fondly remembered is King Alfred’s Middle School, Shaftesbury, which closed in 2004. As well as nostalgic regrets, there was concern about what would happen to its prized possession: the 2½-metre-high statue of King Alfred, who established Shaftesbury as one of his defensive ‘burghs’ against the Danes. The statue was designed for the school by Andrew DuMont in 1984. 

Happily, the statue found a suitable home in the ruined Shaftesbury Abbey, which Alfred founded in 888, ten years after he had routed the Danes at the battle of Edington. With his sword and shield, he stands overlooking a herb garden named after his daughter, Æthelgifu, who was the first abbess. 

Nearest postcode: SP7 8JR
OS reference: ST861229
What3words: tilting.shaves.domain
www.shaftesburyabbey.org.uk