Milton Abbas
Milton Abbas (10mi/16km northeast of Dorchester) is an exceptionally attractive 18th century "model" village, built largely out of self-interest in 1786 by Joseph Damer, first Earl of Dorchester. Because the nearby village of Middleton interfered with the view from his country-house (a converted abbey), he went to the extraordinary lengths of having it demolished, moving its inhabitants to a picturesque new village of thatch-roofed houses.
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Milton Abbey
The Earl of Dorchester's house, Milton Abbey, is now a school. The abbey itself was founded by King Athelstan (ca. 935), fulfillling a vow made when he defeated the Danes; the surviving buildings are all 14th-15th century. In addition to a 15th century painting of its founder, the abbey church contains the tomb of the Earl and Countess of Dorchester, designed by Robert Adam (1775) and movingly executed in stone by Agostino Carlini.
