Winterborne Stickland village sign

Agriculture, button-making, blacksmithing, spinning, brewing: these were the jobs that occupied people in rural Dorset in the days before revolutions in transport and communications opened up the world and ended villages’ isolation for ever. They are all to be seen on Winterborne Stickland’s beautifully carved village sign, which was made by local craftsmen and unveiled by sculptor Elisabeth Frink in 1988.

On one side is the village’s present name, on the other its old name, Winterburn Stikellane, which means ‘village on the river Winterborne with a steep lane’. The word ‘stickle’ for ‘steep’ can still be heard in Dorset dialect.

After 30 years the sign was weathering badly, and in 2018 it was renovated by BBC TV’s The Repair Shop.

 Nearest postcode: DT11 0NW
OS reference: ST835044
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