Blandford Forum | |
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Market Place, town centre |
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Blandford Forum shown within Dorset | |
Population | 10,610 (2013 estimate) |
OS grid reference | ST886069 |
• London | 118 miles (190 km) |
Civil parish |
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District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | BLANDFORD FORUM |
Postcode district | DT11 |
Dialling code | 01258 |
Police | Dorset |
Fire | Dorset and Wiltshire |
Ambulance | South Western |
EU Parliament | South West England |
UK Parliament | |
Blandford Forum (/ˈblænfəd ˈfɔərəm/ BLAN(D)-fərd FOHR-əm), commonly Blandford, is a market town in the North Dorset district of Dorset, England, sited by the River Stour about 24 km (15 mi) northwest of Poole. It is the administrative headquarters of North Dorset District Council.
Blandford is notable for its Georgian architecture, the result of rebuilding after the majority of the town was destroyed by a fire in 1731. The rebuilding work was assisted by an Act of Parliament and a donation by George II, and the rebuilt town centre—to designs by local architects John and William Bastard—has survived to the present day largely intact.
Blandford Camp, a military base, is sited on the hills two miles to the north east of the town. It is the base of the Royal Corps of Signals, the communications wing of the British Army, and the site of the Royal Signals Museum.