Abbotsbury Swannery in July 2017, New Barn road, Abbotsbury, Dorset. DT3 4JG. England. ( 4 )

            Abbotsbury is a village and civil parish in the English county of pictureque Dorset. It is in the West Dorset district and is situated about 1 mile ( 1.6 km ) inland from the English Channel coast. In the 2011 census the civil parish had a population of 481. The coastline within Abbotsbury parish includes a section of Chesil Beach, an 18-mile ( 29 km ) barrier beach which is part of the Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site.Abbotsbury is known for its Swannery, subtropical gardens and surviving abbey buildings, including St Catherine's Chapel, a 14th-century pilgrimage chapel that stands on a hill between the village and the coast. Much of Abbotsbury, including Chesil Beach, the Swannery and subtropical gardens, is owned by the Ilchester Estate, which owns 61 square kilometres ( or 15,000 acres ) of land in Dorset.
This is the only place in the world where you are able to walk through the heart of a colony of nesting Mute Swans, spread over a site of some 25 acres. A visit to the Swannery is considered one of the finest things to do in Dorset. The Swannery was established by Benedictine Monks who built a monastery at Abbotsbury during the 1040’s. The monks farmed the swans to produce food for their lavish Dorset banquets. St Peter’s monastery was destroyed in 1539, during the dissolution. Some of the ruins are still visible around St Nicolas’ Church in the village. Since that time, the Swannery has been under the stewardship of the Ilchester Estates. I visited this Swannery in July 2017. Having only gone the cafe as a motorbike ride many years earlier. It was a beautifully sunny day when we arrived around 02.00pm. So sadly I did not have much time to visit the Tropical Gardens or the Childrens Farm further along the narrow road into the Swannery. By this time the small swans were grey in colour but there were so many of them. Be very careful of getting to near to the grown up Swans when they are with their flocks. They get a bit nasty hissing and rearing if you get too near. Trying to get close ups is not easy and you take your life in your hands with these huge 7 foot ( about 2.15 metres ) or so wingspan swans. They can do a lot of damage if they attack you. You are warned to to feed or approach the Swans before you enter.
Abbotsbury Swannery in Dorset, near Dorchester has become one of the most popular things to do for the family visiting Dorset. Located on the dramatic Dorset Coast, this unique natural wildlife habitat is also popular with film makers and has been used as a location for Harry Potter filming. So if your family is looking for unusual things to do on holiday in Dorset, come to the Swannery and help hand feed 600 swans at 12.00 noon and 4.00 pm daily, or try out  giant maze ( the largest willow maze in Dorset ), swing on the swinging nests play area, at the Kennels café or browse our quality gift shop. Parking is free also. The swans at Abbotsbury are all free flying: this is a sanctuary, not a zoo. There are no cages but there are pens  for the family swans to keep them all together. On that day Birds of Prey were on display  from Wessex Bird of Prey Rescue. A chance to see some beautiful birds of prey. Next to it was Giant Swan Maze. Further on a huge Bouncing Bomb is on display from the Barnes Wallis Dambusters in World War 2. Pedal Go karts for the kids to keep them quiet can be seen here also.
One and a half miles ( 2.4 km ) northwest of the village, at the top of Wears Hill, are the earthworks of Abbotsbury Castle, an Iron Age hill fort. The earthworks cover a roughly triangular area of about 10 acres , of which about 4.5 acres are inside the ramparts In the 10th century a charter of King Edmund records a granting of land at Abbedesburi, a name which indicates the land may have once belonged to an abbot.  In 1086 in the Domesday Book Abbotsbury was recorded as Abedesberie or Abodesberie; it had 62 households, 16 plough lands, 32 acres  of meadow and 2 mills. It was in the hundred of Uggescombe and the lords and tenants-in-chief were Abbotsbury Abbey and Hawise, wife of Hugh son of Grip. Abbotsbury Abbey existed for 500 years, but was destroyed in the dissolution, although the abbey barn survived. Stone from the abbey was used in the construction of many buildings in the village, including the house of Abbotsbury's new owner, Sir Giles Strangways.
   

Taken on: April 12, 2019

Tags:

Dorset

Abbotsbury

Wears hill

Abbotsbury Castle

Wessex Bird of Prey

Ilchester Estates

Bouncing Bomb

Dambusters

Chesil Beach

Subtropical gardens

Jurassic Coast « less

Sets appears in: • Videos around Dorset County, England.

Stats: 7,225 views

Link to this photo view:
Link to this photo large view: