Pictures of Sixpenny Handley

About Sixpenny Handley

Pretty English village with a famous signpost that these days puzzles the young who have little knowledge of coins pre-decimalisation. It reads - To 6d Handley - thus conjuring up a picture of a colourful place.

Sixpenny Handley is set in the lovely countryside of Cranbourne Chase. It is a village that was swept away by the ravages of a fire late in the 19th-century and was almost entirely rebuilt during 1892. During the 18th-century, the village was the home of a notorious smuggler called Isaac Gulliver who had married the daughter of the landlord of the local inn. Isaac ran a band of about 50 men who fetched and carried contraband from the Dorset coast. They were sufficiently daring to also poach deer and local legend tells of a tombstone in the churchyard being used to hide their stolen carcases. True or false, it is an interesting tale and one that is easy to believe.

The local church dedicated to St.Mary is very beautiful. Its embattled tower soars towards the skyline along with the sturdy trees in the peaceful churchyard. The church is built of stone and inside there is a splendid wooden beamed roof. Included in it's treasures is a font from the 12th-century and commemorative brasses and monuments. The churchyards has graves and tombs of local folk from past centuries.

This is a large village with a thriving community to which agriculture has always been important. There is a village school, the usual shops, pubs and inns. It lies within easy driving distance of Blandford Forum, Wimborne Minster and the lovely Dorset Coast.