Tourist Spot Attractions In Whitchurch Canonicorum

Bridport, Dorset. UK - Snow - 1st March 2018

Bridport Dorset UK - Snow.
Camera - Panasonic DMC-FZ200
Software - CyberLink Photo Director 8

Dorset: 13th Chideock Ploughing Match

Action from several angles of the 13th Chideock ploughing match held in West Dorset on Sunday, 20th October 2013, on land at Doghouse Farm rented from the National Trust's famous Golden Cap estate by the Chideock thatcher Dave Symonds. The annual contest began as a way for local ploughmen - and ploughwomen - to have a go at competing without the pressures of taking part in a much bigger event. The first year saw 10 entrants. This year there were 41, and 38 turned up on the day. It's possible the missing three were put off by the weather forecast, which was for heavy rain and great gusts of wind all day long. As it turned out, three downpours round about the middle of the day did mean that ploughing had to be stopped early. But still, quite a lot got done and there's some fine tractors to be seen at work in this video.

The match was judged under Society of Ploughmen rules, with points awarded for Opening, Start, Seed Bed, Firmness, Uniformity, Finish, Ins & Outs, General Appearance and Straightness of the whole plot.

Among the contestants was Dave Symonds' nephew Mark Symonds, who appears at the end of the video discussing his chances in the Open 3 & 4 Furrow competition.

We were keen to catch up with Mark, partly because he was willing to have a GoPro camera attached to his head and his tractor, but also because he is Captain of the Bells at the church of St Candida and Holy Cross in Whitchurch Canonicorum. Dave Symonds is Captain of the Bells at St Giles' church in Chideock.

In the background, you can hear the hymn 'We Plough the Fields and Scatter', which was sung during the harvest festival celebrations in the church at Whitchurch Canonicorum at exactly the same time as the ploughing match, and recorded there simultaneously.

All of this footage was filmed as part of the A Tale of Two Bell Towers project, which is documenting the year after bell restoration projects took place in both Whitchurch Canonicorum and Chideock. You can find out more about the project on this YouTube channel:

Decorating the Church.mpg

Hemingford Abbots Flower Festival takes place 26/27 June 2010. All welcome; 26 gardens open with many other attractions and events. Bring the family.