Bere Regis

Bere Regis ) is a village and civil parish in the Purbeck district of Dorset, England, situated 6 mi north-west of Wareham.

The village has one shop, a post office and two pubs, The Royal Oak and The Drax Arms. The parish church is St. John the Baptist Church. The village features in the Domesday Book.

Geography
Bere Regis village is sited by the side of the small Bere River or Bere Stream, a tributary of the River Piddle, where the chalk of the Dorset Downs, to the north, dips beneath newer deposits of clay, sands and gravels. The village is situated at the western terminus of the A31 road (Guildford - Bere Regis), where it joins the A35 (Southampton - Honiton), although both roads now bypass the village. The local travel hubs are Wareham railway station, 6 mi from the village, and Bournemouth Airport, 17 mi away.

To the south-east of the village a large conifer plantation, Wareham Forest, stretches several miles to Wareham. To the west is Dorchester, north is Blandford Forum and east is Bournemouth. Further to the south is the chalk ridge of the Purbeck Hills, and 10 mi to the south is the Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site on the English Channel.

Architecture
Having suffered extensive fires throughout its history, including the most serious in 1777, the village has lost many of its older buildings. There is however a selection of Georgian and Victorian buildings. The nearby hamlet of Shitterton, protected by the Bere River from the fires, still retains an extensive selection of older buildings, predominantly thatch. Amongst them is the oldest residential building in the parish; the 550 year old Honeycombe Cottage.

The oldest parts of the parish church of St John Baptist are of the 12th century but additions were made in the following three centuries. The tower is built of stone and flint chequerwork and the timber roof of the nave is said to have been the gift of Cardinal John Morton. Features of interest include the arcades, some 16th-century seating and a number of Purbeck marble monuments. The Victorian and later stained glass is of poor quality.

Demographics
In the 2011 Census the civil parish recorded a population of 1,745 (867 male, 878 female).

Education
The village has one village school – Bere Regis First School. This is a mixed primary school for children aged 4–10.

Governance
The Parish Council meets the first Thursday of every month. On a district level, the village comes under the control of Purbeck District Council The village comes under Dorset County Council and sits within the Parliamentary constituency of Mid Dorset and North Poole. Its Member of Parliament since 2001 is the Liberal Democrat Annette Brooke.

Literature
The village featured in several novels of Thomas Hardy, most notably, Tess of the D'Urbervilles. The village was portrayed as 'Kingsbere' and the D'Urberville family was based on the Turberville Family of Bere Regis. This family name has evolved to Turbyfill.

Sport and recreation
Bere Regis has an active village sports club and playing fields which can be used for different sports.

Twin towns
Bere Regis is twinned with:
 * 🇫🇷 Cérences, France