Did you know?

You can browse and buy prints from over 300 images of Dorset from the Dorset History Centre archives by visiting Dorset Pictures Online.

Attractive and engaging images of Dorset from the past have been selected from the exclusive collections. You can find out more about Dorset's local heritage and history in the pages below.

• Archaeology

  Archaeology is the search for understanding of human development from our earliest origins to the present day through study of the physical remains of human activity and its impact upon the environment.

• Birth - historical searches

  Information about historical birth registrations including what to do if you want to search the birth indexes for Dorset or obtain a copy of a birth certificate

• Death - historical searches

  Information about historical death registrations including what to do if you want to search the death indexes for Dorset or obtain a copy of a death certificate.

• Historic sites and monuments

  Monuments and areas deemed to be of national importance are protected as scheduled monuments.

• Records and archives

  The Dorset History Centre holds archives and printed sources relating to the county and its history.

• War memorials

  Cleaning and maintenance of war memorials situated within the local authority boundary is in some cases undertaken by the church or other local organisations rather than the local authority.

• Famous local writers

  Awe-inspiring writers and heroes of times gone by who lived in or wrote about Dorset include Enid Blyton, Thomas Hardy and T.E.Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia).