Stalbridge Sold- A town under the hammer
Stalbridge Sold- A town under the hammer
Stalbridge History Society presents a NEW exhibition ‘Stalbridge Sold- A town under the hammer’, at Stalbridge Hall from Friday 13th June to Sunday 15th June 2025
We invite you to join us for a trip back to 1918.
Our main exhibition illustrates what life was like for Stalbridge residents during a time of turmoil.
The stories, photographs and history it contains are taken from our newly published 350 page book, and there will be an opportunity to view and possibly purchase a copy at the exhibition. We have already sold out of two print runs in the last couple of months, so this may be your last chance to acquire a copy!
Opening times are: Friday 13th June from 10.00am to 12.30pm, Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th June from 10.00am to 4.00pm.
And for one day only, join us for the ‘Stalbridge Family & Local History Fair’ on Saturday 14th June 2025 in the Community Hall at Stalbridge Hall.
This one day event runs at the same time as the main exhibition on Saturday only.
Family & local history societies and commercial exhibitors will be in the Community Hall on Saturday for you to come and chat with, ask advice and learn more about researching your family or local area.
So do come along and find out what life was like in Stalbridge, over 100 years ago, as the First World War was coming to an end, and when Lord Stalbridge decided to sell the entire town at auction.
FREE ENTRY | REFRESHMENTS | FREE PARKING | WHEELCHAIR FRIENDLY
This exhibition has been sponsored by Dorset Council, Stalbridge Town Council and Stalbridge Community Shop.
In September 1918, two months before the end of the Great War, Lord Stalbridge sold his Stalbridge Estate as individual Lots, including almost every house, cottage, business premises, farm and field in and around the town. For the first time local people had the opportunity to own their home – though for some this meant losing theirs, rented from the Estate for generations. 100 years later, the Stalbridge History Society, after years of research, mounted a very successful exhibition in 2018 to mark the Centenary.
We knew then that we had a duty to commemorate this event in book form, providing a legacy for both the exhibition and to ensure that our research was recorded for future generations.
We have worked hard to add to our original research, supplemented by information from the 1921 census, released in 2022, together with valuable information from the Stalbridge Archive and Dorset History Centre archive in Dorchester. Many of the families whose stories are recorded here still have descendants living in the town.
The resulting book, ‘Stalbridge Sold – a town under the hammer’ is to be enjoyed both for its historical information and as a visual record of life in Stalbridge and Stalbridge Weston before, during and after the dramatic year of the Sale. With over 340 pages, and lavishly illustrated with original photographs and images, this is a fascinating book….
We will be launching the book at the new Exhibition to be held at Stalbridge Hall on Friday 13th, Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th June. There will also be a mini-family history/local historical society fair on the Saturday. Make a note in your diaries now!
