Compton Abbas is a village and civil parish in north Dorset, England. It lies 3 miles (5 kilometres) south of the town of Shaftesbury. It is sited on greensand strata on the edge of the Blackmore Vale,[2] below the chalk downs of Cranborne Chase. On top of these hills is Compton Abbas Airfield. The A350 road between Wiltshire and the south coast passes through the village. In the 2011 census the civil parish had a population of 216.[1] The name Compton Abbas derives from the Saxon "cumb-ton", meaning 'village in a narrow valley', plus "abbas" which refers to Shaftesbury Abbey (the land was owned by the abbess). The church, St. Mary's, was built in 1866 to replace the older structure which was more remote from the village.

Compton Abbas
St Mary's Church, Compton Abbas
Compton Abbas is located in Dorset
Compton Abbas
Compton Abbas
Location within Dorset
Population216 (2011)[1]
OS grid referenceST869184
Civil parish
  • Compton Abbas
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townSHAFTESBURY
Postcode districtSP7
Dialling code01747
PoliceDorset
FireDorset and Wiltshire
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Dorset
50°57′56″N 2°11′19″W / 50.9655°N 2.1885°W / 50.9655; -2.1885

Places of interest

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The tower of the Church of St Mary in East Compton is a Grade I listed building.

Politics

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Compton Abbas is part of the North Dorset constituency for elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Compton Abbas is part of the Beacon ward for elections to Dorset Council.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Area: Compton Abbas (Parish), Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  2. ^ Ralph Wightman (1983). Portrait of Dorset (4 ed.). Robert Hale Ltd. p. 16. ISBN 0-7090-0844-9.
  3. ^ "Area profile for Beacon - Dorset Council". gi.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
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  Media related to Compton Abbas at Wikimedia Commons