Bridport, #1 on this list · Photo: David Martin · CC BY-SA 2.0

Dorset rankings · History

Most historic towns in Dorset

Bridport ranks first on history among Dorset’s 30 towns of 2,500+; 14 of the 30 grade A− or better against UK towns.

The History Grade, a character grade (not part of the overall): listed buildings, monuments and registered parks (Historic England, Cadw), per resident and as a count, and homes built before 1919. The rank across England and Wales sits beside each letter. How grades work

Bridport

12,294 people

A⁺

Better than 98% of UK towns·#22 of 2,156 in England and Wales

Sherborne

10,359 people

A⁺

Better than 98% of UK towns·#29 of 2,156 in England and Wales

Fortuneswell

4,554 people

A⁺

Better than 97% of UK towns·#52 of 2,156 in England and Wales

All 30 towns, ranked

History grade, best first; ranks are the county ranks on each town’s page (T = tied). Military garrison towns and university campuses keep their grades but aren’t ranked. Each rank across England and Wales links to the national list.

Every town in Dorset →

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30 towns.

#TownGrade · UK rankCompared with UK towns

1Bridport12,294 peopleA⁺#22 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 98% of UK towns

2Sherborne10,359 peopleA⁺#29 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 98% of UK towns

3Fortuneswell4,554 peopleA⁺#52 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 97% of UK towns

4Lyme Regis3,741 peopleA⁺#54 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 97% of UK towns

5Beaminster2,995 peopleA⁺#73 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 95% of UK towns

6Swanage9,115 peopleA#89 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 94% of UK towns

7Weymouth55,540 peopleA#146 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 91% of UK towns

8Weston5,208 peopleA#189 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 89% of UK towns

9Blandford Forum11,805 peopleA#202 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 88% of UK towns

10Shaftesbury9,163 peopleA#205 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 88% of UK towns

11Wareham5,876 peopleA#220 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 87% of UK towns

12Dorchester21,358 peopleA#222 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 87% of UK towns

13Sturminster Newton3,565 peopleA#243 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 86% of UK towns

14Wimborne Minster16,629 peopleA⁻#419 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 78% of UK towns

15Bournemouth196,453 peopleB⁺#535 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 72% of UK towns

16Christchurch48,973 peopleB#864 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 58% of UK towns

17Poole141,009 peopleB⁻#992 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 52% of UK towns

18Gillingham11,009 peopleB⁻#1,018 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 51% of UK towns

19Merley5,489 peopleC⁺#1,223 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 42% of UK towns

20Lytchett Matravers3,455 peopleC#1,565 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 26% of UK towns

21Chickerell3,973 peopleC⁻#1,636 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 23% of UK towns

22West Parley3,665 peopleC⁻#1,670 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 21% of UK towns

23Verwood13,706 peopleD#1,840 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 13% of UK towns

24Corfe Mullen10,036 peopleD#1,906 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 10% of UK towns

25Ferndown13,267 peopleD⁻#2,051 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 5% of UK towns

26Upton8,401 peopleD⁻#2,053 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 4% of UK towns

27West Moors10,432 peopleD⁻#2,080 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 3% of UK towns

28Ashley Heath7,151 peopleD⁻#2,094 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 3% of UK towns

29Alderholt2,868 peopleD⁻#2,116 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 2% of UK towns

30Bearwood4,134 peopleD⁻#2,150 of 2,156 nationallybehind almost every UK town

Not ranked

Not on this list

2 military garrison towns and university campuses keep their grades but aren’t ranked: most residents serve in the forces or are students.

Pimperne 2,770 people. Garrison town.
Wool 5,044 people. Garrison town.

Quick answers

Questions people ask

What is the most historic town in Dorset?

Bridport ranks first on history among 30 towns, with an A+: better than 98% of UK towns. Sherborne and Fortuneswell follow.

How are these towns ranked?

The History Grade, a character grade (not part of the overall): listed buildings, monuments and registered parks (Historic England, Cadw), per resident and as a count, and homes built before 1919. The letter and rank are the same as on each town’s page. How grades work.

Why isn’t my town on this list?

Garrison towns and university campuses aren’t ranked, and towns without the figures this grade needs are counted above. The list covers Dorset’s towns of 2,500+ with the figure. Smaller places show it on their own pages; every town in Dorset is on the county page.

Go deeper

More Dorset lists

Every list ranks the same 2,500+ towns, so a town’s rank means the same thing on each.

All Dorset rankings →

Best places to live30 towns · #1 West Parley Best small towns16 towns · #1 West Parley Most affordable towns30 towns · #1 Fortuneswell Safest towns30 towns · #1 Merley Towns with the best schools30 towns · #1 Bournemouth Healthiest towns30 towns · #1 Ashley Heath Best towns for jobs & income30 towns · #1 Merley Most walkable towns30 towns · #1 Dorchester Towns with the lowest flood risk30 towns · #1 Alderholt and 8 more Best towns for the outdoors30 towns · #1 Swanage Towns with the most civic life30 towns · #1 Lytchett Matravers Towns with the highest household incomes32 towns · #1 PimperneDescribed, no letters Towns with the lowest council tax32 towns · #1 Bearwood and 2 moreDescribed, no letters Towns with the mildest winters32 towns · #1 SwanageDescribed, no letters Towns with the warmest summers32 towns · #1 BearwoodDescribed, no letters Towns with the coolest summers32 towns · #1 SwanageDescribed, no letters Towns with the fewest frosts32 towns · #1 Fortuneswell and WestonDescribed, no letters Driest towns32 towns · #1 FortuneswellDescribed, no letters Wettest towns32 towns · #1 BeaminsterDescribed, no letters

Sources: Historic England, National Heritage List for England (listed buildings, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, battlefields, World Heritage Sites), October 2026, inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary · Cadw listed buildings, scheduled monuments and registered historic parks and gardens via DataMapWales, October 2026, inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary · Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax: stock of properties by build period (31 March 2025) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.