Loders is a village and civil parish in the

English county The counties of England are areas used for different purposes, which include administrative, geographical, cultural and political demarcation. The term "county" is defined in several ways and can apply to similar or the same areas used by each ...

of Dorset. It lies north-east of the town of Bridport. It is a linear village, sited in the valley of the small

River Asker The River Asker is a small river in Dorset, England. It rises on the chalk slopes of Eggardon Hill, approximately east of Bridport. It flows west-northwest through the villages of Askerswell to which it gives its name, Uploders, where many cotta ...

, between Waddon Hill and Boarsbarrow Hill. In the 2011 census the parish had a population of 518. The village school was opened in 1869 on land owned by the Nepean family of Loders Court. It was originally called Lady Nepean's School.

Description

The parish of Loders comprises three settlements. In the east is

Uploders Uploders is a small village in Dorset, England. It consists mainly of houses, and has a pub, the ''Crown'', a Grade II listed Methodist chapel and a playing field. The River Asker runs through the village. It is a linear village, surrounding the ...

which has a public house, ''The Crown'', and a chapel. To the west of Uploders and separated from it by a few fields is Yondover, where the village road crosses the

. The village playing field and two farms are located here. West of Yondover and separated from it by the river and the disused railway line of the Bridport Railway branch line, is Lower Loders, generally known as just Loders. Lower Loders has a public house, ''The Loders Arms'', a church, dedicated to

St Mary Magdalen Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to his crucifixion and resurre ...

, a village hall, several farms, and a primary school, which celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2019. In his book ''Portrait of Dorset'', Ralph Wightman gave an agricultural assessment of Loders as having "more than its share of soil variations but most of them are good soils. The result is a village of fertile fields but with an amazing difference in levels."

History

In 1086 Loders is mentioned in the Domesday Book as ''Lodres''. During the reign of Henry I, Baldwin de Redvers founded a

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but also headquarters in a wider sense. Types of seat The following are examples of different kinds of seat: * Armchair (furniture), ...

of a Benedictine priory at Loders. The monks were reputedly the first to introduce

cider Cider ( ) is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of apples. Cider is widely available in the United Kingdom (particularly in the West Country) and the Republic of Ireland. The UK has the world's highest per capita consumption, ...

-making into Dorset.

Governance

Loders lies within an

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to t ...

of the same name, which also includes the surrounding area from the edge of Bridport via Powerstock to North Poorton. The population of this ward was 1,697 at the 2011 census. The ward is one of 32 that comprise the West Dorset parliamentary constituency, which is currently represented in the UK national parliament by the Conservative Chris Loder, who succeeded Oliver Letwin in 2019.

In culture

Johnny Coppin's ''Westcountry Christmas'' album includes a song called ''Song for Loders'', which mentions many places around the area, including Eggerton, Askerswell and Muckleford, amongst others. :When frost lies thick on Egerton :And every pool begins to freeze :From Muckleford to Nettle Coombe :And hills are hung with sparkling trees :Then to Loders we must go :Before the world is drowned in snow

References

External links

{{Authority control Villages in Dorset