What to see

A picturesque village set on a little ridge in the band of the Wealden beds which runs through the middle of Purbeck. The medieval village was much larger as the lumps and bumps of the deserted medieval settlement around the church demonstrates.

The houses and cottages are all of local limestone and most have limestone roofs as well. In the porch of the church are the carved coat of arms of the Lawrence family, whose ancestors were allied to those of George Washington. The stars and stripes of the Lawrence arms are said to have inspired the American flag.