Market bell, Sturminster Newton

The Monday market at ‘Stur’ was more than a market, it was a gathering of the farming community. It was held weekly for 700 years and earned the town the title, ‘The capital of the Blackmore Vale’. As the auctioneer moved on to the next type of livestock, a bell rang and a signal arm displayed what was being sold.

In1997, the market closed and the bell rang for the last time. With the signal arms, it was rescued by a local farmer but lay in a ditch for ten years. Then the Exchange, a community/learning/arts centre, was built on part of the market site. On its stairs is the market bell, a powerful link to the town’s agricultural past.

 Nearest postcode: DT10 1FH
OS reference: ST787142
What3words: model.joked.microfilm