Draft:Longham Village

Longham, pronounced Long Ham, is a linear village in East Dorset situated on a bend in the River Stour 4 miles SE of Wimborne Minster. The river forms the southern boundary of the green belt separating the conurbation of BCP (Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch) and the town of Ferndown to the north.

Longham and its sister village of Hampreston were once an ancient ecclesiastical parish on the Wimborne Estate and many historical buildings remain in both villages which are connected by a public footpath and Ham Lane, on the B3073 Wimborne to Christchurch Road.

Longham Bridge

Travelling south to north Longham village starts at Longham Bridge, first constructed with thirteen arches in 1728 by John Wagg of Ringwood, and widened in 1792 by Antony Sergeant, who reduced it to eleven segmental brick arches above stone piers with cutwaters, stone spandrels and brick parapets. It still displays two plaques reading:

"Any person willfully injuring any part of this county bridge will be guilty of felony and upon conviction be liable to be transported for life. To owners and drivers of traction engines, this bridge is insufficient to carry weights beyond the ordinary traffic of the District."

Today it is too narrow to accommodate two articulated lorries turning onto the bridge at the same time but nevertheless it carries a huge amount of traffic on the A348 Poole to Ringwood Road. The only modern improvement is a separate pedestrian footbridge added to the side, which allows the full width of the bridge to be used for traffic. Before 1728 there was a wooden bridge and a cattle ford immediately below the bridge leading to a turnpike gate near Stour Cottage.

Longham Waterworks

Adjacent to Longham Bridge are the weirs and deep pools of Longham Waterworks, now a water treatment plant, but originally a water pumping station opened in 1883 by the Bournemouth & District Water Company. It acquired the Old Mill House from the Canford Estate, in order to use the water wheel of the mill to power the pumps. Originally the mill was one of a series of flour mills along the River Stour and throughout the 18^th, 19^th and early 20^th Centuries Longham was home to numerous families of bakers and a large bakery was situated at the rear of Longham General Stores part of which still exists. The waterworks is not open to the general public but course fishing is permitted to members of local angling clubs.

Longham Ford and Bridge House

Below Longham Bridge is the old cattle ford, now the frequently flooded island garden of the Bridge House Hotel. The original building, Bridge Farm, went through several owners once it ceased to be a farm.  It became a fisherman's hotel in the 1920s, then a popular waterside tea rooms run by a mother and daughter, the Hixons, in the 1940's. Stars from the summer shows in Bournemouth often came out for horse riding, fishing and afternoon tea. After falling into disrepair in the 1960's it was eventually sold, demolished and replaced by the current hotel. One of the early investors in the new hotel was the late film and TV actor Telly Savalas aka 'Kojak' and members of his family ran the hotel in its early years.

Longham Ford in its heyday and Bridge Farm House, now the Bridge House Hotel

The Stour Valley Way

The Stour Valley Way public footpath runs east from the hotel, along the river bank and up to Dudsbury Iron Age Hill Fort. The river is very unmanaged along the north bank which is prone to regular flooding, but it's full of wildlife. Little Egrets, Kingfishers and Otters can all be seen on the 1.5 mile walk to the woods below the fort. The land comprising the hill fort was purchased by the Bournemouth Girl Guides in 1931 and is still an active Guiding camp. There is a panoramic view of Longham from Dudsbury Hill, which clearly shows the linear layout of the village, the course of the river and the vital green belt, which separates the conurbation of Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch from the rapidly expanding town of Ferndown. The Stour Way public footpath also runs west from Longham Bridge skirting the waterworks and leading to a series of entrance gates into Longham Lakes. The footpath has been diverted around the perimeter of the lakes but picks up its original track at the ends of High Mead and Green Lanes and continues across grazing land to All Saints Church and village school in Hampreston.

Longham Lakes

In 1994 planning permission was granted for gravel extraction and reservoir construction on farmland on the western side of the village. Eventually two lakes separated by a causeway were formed, the small north lake being reserved for coarse fishing, and the much larger south lake for limited recreational use. However, since the lakes were filled in and then opened to the public in 2010, the site has become a haven for wildlife with around 180 species of birds being logged to date including many rare visitors such as the Penduline Tit, Ortolan Bunting and Hoopoe. South West Lakes Trust operates Longham Lakes and the car park is reserved for fishing permit holders or Friends of SW Lakes. There is no swimming, boating or cycling permitted and dogs must be kept on a lead or use the outer public footpath. The gravel figure of eight footpath around the lakes is about 1.5 miles in length and there are benches and viewpoints at regular intervals.

Historical buildings

From Longham Bridge past the Bridge House on one side and Stour Cottage on the other, the road runs straight. All but a handful of historical buildings remain including Longham Cottage dated 1767 with the W emblem of the Wimborne Estate. It borders the site of Longham General Stores and Bakery where once three tenement buildings stood with considerable outhouses and baking ovens to the rear. Only one tenement building remains and is now the showroom of Aston Service Dorset, a business specialising in the restoration and servicing of both vintage and more modern Aston Martin cars. The business has been owned by the Forshaw family for three generations since 1934.

A public right of way leads to Longham Lakes at this point but sadly The Kings Arms public house, which had a rich history, no longer sells beer any more. The row of cottages next to the former pub were built over 125 years ago and were the homes of the village policemen.

Rounding the bend opposite the entrance to Longham Lakes car park is Longham Farm House, built in the late 18^th century by Lord Wimborne and tenanted by several notable farmers who left their mark on the village. The last farming family, the Richards, made the biggest mark, selling all their farm land to the east of the village to create Dudsbury Golf Course.

Just past Longham Farm is another historic mid 18^th century farm house, Home Farm, which housed the first village telephone exchange. Then on the other side of the road behind a high fence, is the building and grounds of Longham House built mainly in the 19^th century, but includes a wing of 18^th century origin. In 1914 it was bought by Admiral and Lady Bush, descendants of Oliver Cromwell. Their daughter Selina Bush ran riding stables from the house well into her eighties.

Also along the road are good examples of Lady Wimborne cottages built for estate workers from 1867 onwards. Generally they are seen as pairs but there are a few variations in the village. One example is the Grade II listed post office, which has now closed, but the cottages remain and have been turned into a small cluster of starter homes.

Opposite the old post office is the even older White Hart Public House, another Grade II listed building built in the 18^th Century. In 1778 it was one of a large number of properties owned by the local smuggler Issac Gulliver, known as the 'King of the Dorset Smugglers'. The White Hart is a proper traditional English pub, which has retained its character and history.

The next historical building of note is hard to miss as it overlooks the village cross roads (mini roundabouts). The United Reformed Congregational Chapel was built by Joseph Nutting in 1841. To build it he had to sell his own house and all his possessions – it cost £2919 and made him penniless. He particularly wanted the tall spire, which dominates the building.

Continuing up the hill on the A348 to Ferndown is an 18^th Century farmhouse called Hillamsland built in 1738 and opposite is the entrance to a new housing estate built on the site of Holmwood Park, once a 19^th Century mansion occupying 50 acres.

Finally the northern boundary of Longham village is reached at the Angel Inn a 19^th century building that has gone through many changes since a devastating fire but was first registered as a public house in 1890.

Dudsbury Golf Course (Closed

The 18-hole, championship course, formerly Longham Farm, occupied 160 acres of parkland to the east of the village running to the edge of Dudsbury Hill, north to the B3073, and south down to the River Stour. The golf course was closed in March 2024.

Haskins Garden Centre

Although there are no longer any traditional shops in Longham, the centre of the village is home to a large Haskins Garden Centre and Hobbycraft outlet. With a large café and plenty of parking, it has become a popular meeting place for coffee, lunch or tea, as well as shopping. It stands on the site of the old Silver Star Coffee Tavern an agricultural store, so quite a fitting replacement.

All Saints Church and School Hampreston

Longham was originally a village in the parish of Hampreston, now both villages have been incorporated into the civil parish of Ferndown. However, All Saints Church Hampreston remains the Church of England parish church for local villagers of the Anglican faith. All Saints Church is a Grade II listed building with a tower and nave built in the 15^th Century. Opposite the church is Hampreston Church of England First School built in 1874. The 'Walk to School' across the fields from Longham to Hampreston is still celebrated once a year by the pupils and their teachers, maintaining the historic link between the two villages.

Crossroads at Longham 1900 dominated by the United Reformed Congregational Chapel