Dorset | England

Shaftesbury sits like a golden jewel in the heart of Dorset, England. The rural market town was founded among lush, rolling hills by King Alfred the Great in the 9th Century. Alfred, acclaimed as one of the best kings in history, is noted for supporting religion, scholarship and education, and for defending against foreign trespass and domestic lawlessness. 

On a steep road careening down the 700-foot bluff that Shaftesbury calls home, testaments to Alfred?s influence yet remain. The heraldic St. Peter?s church stands at the top of the cobbled street and the protective Gold Hill Wall runs its length. And, as if recalling Alfred?s military in miniature, cottages closed in rank like toy soldiers seem to keep one another from toppling down the golden hill into neighboring Blackmore Vale.