About the town » Chideock, Dorset, England, Great Britain

Chideock is a village in south west Dorset, England, situated on the A35 trunk road between Bridport and Lyme Regis. The village has a population of 597 based on the 2001 census. The parish of Chideock includes the coastal hamlet of Seatown, which lies less than 1 mile to the south on the Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site. Seatown has a long shelving pebble beach, with views up towards the hill which forms Golden Cap, the highest cliff (191 metres) on the south coast of England. Fossilised ammonites and belemnites can often be found on the beach due to continued coastal erosion of the soft blue lias clays which make up the cliffs. The population of the village is increasingly made up of retired residents and as such Chideock can be said to have an ageing population relative to the larger towns of Bridport and Lyme Regis nearby . Many tourists visit the parish in the summer and lodge either in caravan sites or in local bed and breakfasts. Local industry is mainly composed of tourist facilities and farming. The local countryside has a long history of farming, conflict, and religious strife at the time of the English civil war. The remains of what was once a royalist castle are marked with a crucifix in the large field that is accessed by Ruins Lane. Notably, it is said that the 'Chideock House Hotel' was once the headquarters of General Fairfax as he planned the parliamentary overthrow of the nearby castle, culminating in its eventual destruction. Hugh Green, who became Chideock's chaplain in 1612, was one of the many Catholic martyrs in the events leading up to the civil war; he was executed in 1642, after conviction. The flow of traffic on the A35 trunk road through the village has prompted calls from some residents for a bypass. Chideock was the first village in England to have two speed cameras installed in response to perceived excessive speed. The National Trust have repeatedly refused permission for a prospective bypass to continue over land it owns to the north of Golden Cap, citing its importance as an area of natural beauty. On 4 May 2010 a weekly hour-long protest was initiated by some residents and involved constant operation of a pedestrian crossing at the centre of the village. This campaign has subsequently continued for a year and may result in restrictions on heavy goods vehicles in the village.