Shaftesbury Hotels - Smooth Hound Hotel Directory

Shaftesbury is located in Dorset on the A30. The town was constructed on the side of a chalk hill 750 feet above sea level. Shaftsbury is known as being one of the oldest as well as highest towns located in the country. Visitors will notice that many of the buildings in town are constructed of greensand from the local area while others are constructed of local limestone, much of which came from the ruins of Shaftesbury Abbey. In addition, many local buildings also feature thatched roofs. The area is popular as a tourist attraction as it looks over Blackmore Vale. Other popular sights include Gold Hill, which is a cobbled street that is fairly step and has been featured on the cover of numerous books and magazines.

Shaftesbury is an English town located in the county of Dorset. The town is close to the border of Wilshire. The town is about seven hundred and fifty feet above sea level and it is located at the side of the greensand hill that forms part of the Cranborne Chase. This town is actually the only major hilltop settlement located in Dorset. Shaftesbury is actually one of the highest and the oldest towns in Britain.

The town has increased dramatically since 1991 and now has a population of about six thousand six hundred and sixty five. The town has a strong education network in the form of five primary schools and a large secondary school. The town has a fairly strong economy and the main employers in the town include Pork Farms, Wessex Electrical, Stalbridge Linen (a commercial laundry), the Royal Mail and also Guys Marsh Prison. One of the major industries within the town is tourism.

A lot of the older buildings in the town are made from greensand however there are others that are made from grey Chilmark style limestone that was salvaged when the abbey within the town was demolished.

The town of Shaftesbury is very famous for Gold Hill. This is a steep cobbled street that is featured on the cover of a lot of books about Dorset and other parts of rural England.