The town overlooks the Blackmore Vale, and combined with its history and architectural character, it is certainly one of the most attractive.
The steep, cobbled Gold Hill is probably one of the most famous streets in the country. The town is the main shopping and service centre for the surrounding area, and provides a range of educational, health and recreational facilities, as well as its own art centre and museum.
Communications
Shaftesbury is located halfway between Blandford
and Warminster on the A30 and A350, 7 miles south of the A303. The nearest railway station is at Gillingham, 4 miles away (Exeter/Waterloo).
Commercial land
There has recently been considerable housing growth in Shaftesbury as part of a housing scheme providing 670 dwellings. The total area of land with permission or allocated in local plans is 7.3 hectares. There are two large business parks Wincombe Business Park and Longmead Industrial Estate. There is a substantial area of employment land to the south of the A30 allocated for B1, and B8 uses (7.0 hectares), and two further areas totalling 1.2 hectares.