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.