Bere Regis – Nature and History

If you are looking for a hotel in Bere Regis, the area’s nature and history can help you get a feel for the destination. Natural features include May’s Wood as a wildlife corridor, the Bere Stream, designated nature sites and a rewilding area. The village’s history centres on a church, a royal residence and a chapel. This can help you decide whether you are more interested in the landscape and wildlife corridors or in buildings and local history.

Landscape and Nature

May’s Wood was planted by Sir Brian May in 2013. At the southern edge of the village of Bere Regis, the woodland forms a wildlife corridor and is connected to the Bere Stream. In the Parish of Bere Regis, the stream runs from the chalk hills in the northwest through the sandy and gravelly areas around the village to the heathland in the southeast. Its course can be read as a sequence of different landscapes: from the hills, across the areas near the village and on to the heathland in the southeast. May’s Wood adds the explicitly named wildlife corridor to this landscape.

Black Hill is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in the Parish of Bere Regis. Souls Moor is a six-acre strip of pasture alongside a stream in Bere Regis. Wild Woodbury is a 170-hectare rewilding area on the site of the original Court Farm in the Parish of Bere Regis; its rewilding is dated to 2022. The areas differ considerably in size: Souls Moor covers six acres, while Wild Woodbury covers 170 hectares. Black Hill, meanwhile, is distinguished by its SSSI designation.

Local walking routes also offer a practical connection to the area’s natural features. On 5 September 2024, Bere Regis Parish Council announced a revised booklet of local walks, including a newly added walk through Wild Woodbury. If you plan to take this route, check the Parish Council’s latest booklet beforehand, as walking routes may change.

Churches and Local History

The south wing of St John the Baptist Church is known as Turberville Chapel. The church also has a carved and painted oak roof, donated by Cardinal Morton around 1485. The name and the roof highlight different aspects: the chapel’s name brings in a family-history connection, while the roof’s material, design and approximate date make it a specific feature of the church.

King John’s Palace adds a royal residence to the church’s history. King John had it built in Bere Regis between 1201 and 1204. It included a stable, a chamber and a chapel. Here, the focus is on the builder, the period and the parts of the residence; at St John the Baptist Church, it is on Turberville Chapel and the donated oak roof.

Bere Regis Chapel adds further points in time to the area’s history. The church of Bere Regis Chapel was founded in 1662 by its first pastor, Philip Lamb. In 1893, the congregation began meeting at the chapel on Butt Lane. The foundation and the later meeting place mark different stages in the congregation’s history.

Discover more destinations: Ashmore, North Wootton, Saint Leonards, Sherborne, Charlton Marshall, Minchington, West Bay, Swanage.

For the wider travel overview: Dorset.