BLANDFORD

blandford, or blandford forum, a market town, and municipal borough in the northern parliamentary division of dorsetshire, england, on the stour, 19 m. n.w. of bournemouth by the somerset & dorset railway. pop. (1901) 3649. the town is ancient, but was almost wholly destroyed by fire in the 18th century. the church of st peter and st paul, a classical building, was built in 1732. there are a grammar-school (founded in 1521 at milton abbas, transferred to blandford in 1775), a blue coat school (1729), and other educational charities. remnants of a mansion of the 14th century, damory court, are seen in a farmhouse, and an adjoining perpendicular chapel is used as a barn. there are numerous early earthworks on the chalk hills in the neighbourhood. the fine modern mansion of bryanston, in the park adjoining the town, is the seat of lord portman. the municipal borough is under a mayor, 4 aldermen and 12 councillors. area, 145 acres.