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<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nMy destination was Poundbury. An odd place, there\u2019s no denying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Conceived as an experimental new town on the outskirts of Dorchester, it provided an opportunity to design a living space from scratch. The idea was to create an integrated town with mixed housing, business and retail units and to encourage footfall rather than car use. Heavily influenced by Prince Charles on whose land it\u2019s built, the buildings are traditional and, from the outside at least, look Georgian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I like it. I like the lack of road markings, the lack of signage. It makes it feel uncluttered and streamlined and – because it\u2019s confusing to the motorist – makes the car driver slow down. The houses, a deliberate mix of social and privately owned, look gorgeous (and have prices to match, you don\u2019t get much mock-Georgian mortar for your dollar). I\u2019m less keen on the Royal Pavilion tower in the Queen Mother square which seems on too grand a scale.
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<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nI\u2019ve watched the town grow over the years and, when house-hunting, one or two properties popped up in the search. I\u2019m not too sure why I didn\u2019t seriously consider one. There is now\u00a0 a supermarket, a couple of pubs and restaurants, a garden centre, shops and cafes. A couple of high profile businesses such as Dorset Cereals moved in, providing employment (although the cereal company has since moved on to larger premises in Poole).There\u2019s a park and playing fields, and on the sunny Saturday I visited, it all looked glorious. With the wide open concreted squares and boulevards, the hot sun beating down and the odd whiff of sun cream, I could almost have been sitting outside in a Spanish resort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n