Open Gardens 2025
About Twenty Open Gardens
Saturday 28 June 2025
10.00 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.
The event is in Aid of St Andrew’s Church
A brief history of the Church may be found here.
A good range of about 20 gardens will be open, some of which have not been opened before. They feature gardens of varying sizes and features, and the village allotments will also be on show as well as other gardens visible from the road.
The re-configuration of St. Andrew's Church is now complete, so cream teas will be served there. There will be a display of “Memories of Childhood in our village”, also imaginative and creative flower arrangements and an interesting display of Church kneelers made by parishioners.
Our village pub, The Royal Oak, will be open from 3.00pm. The village shop and its café are open all day. We have a children's playground in Lower Street and we have a small village museum next to the shop.
The village hall will be open all day for tea, coffee and cakes, Ploughman's lunches. Cream teas will be available in the Church.
Other than for assistance dogs, please do not take a dog onto a property without asking first.
Proceeds
All proceeds to St. Andrew's Church.
Plant sales
Plant sales at various gardens.
Cost
£7.50 adults, small children free. Please bring exact change if you can.
How to get tickets / programmes
Passports on sale at the Village Hall.
Contact the organisers
Phone: 01258 861 063
Email: EthelBerta @ btinternet.com
Web: http://www.spanglefish.com/okefordfitzpaine/index.asp?pageid=732045
Directions / Parking
Take the turning left off the A357 in Shillingstone or the turning right half a mile East of Fiddleford, or if coming from the South take the scenic route (fantastic views over the Blackmore Vale) by going through Winterbourne Stickland. Ample parking at the Village Hall.
Toilet Facilities
Toilets are available at this event.
Location
County: Dorset
Postcode for Sat Nav: DT11 0RE (please verify before travelling)
Find approximate location on GoogleMaps (new browser tab)
Tickets ("Passports") on sale
and free parking & toilets
at the Village Hall, DT11 0RE.
Tea, Coffee, Filled lunch rolls,
from 10:30 in the Village Hall
Cakes & Cream Teas
from 15:00 in the Church
The Okeford Store
and their cafe
will be open all day.
The Royal Oak will be open from 3 p.m.
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We would be very pleased to have your comments & feedback, and to help us next time, we would like to know where you came from that day, and where you first heard of this event or where you saw a sign for it.
Please click >here<
The event is in Aid of St Andrew’s Church
A brief history of the Church may be found here.
The ButterBoys
For several years Andrew Vickers, Chairman of our History Group, has been researching official records and talking to relatives of the sixteen young men from Okeford Fitzpaine who were killed in the First World War. This painstaking research has been recorded in a book “The Butterboys in Battle” with new information and photographs being added all the time. These sixteen lads grew up, played, went to school, and worked together. They joined up together and some even died together. Many played in the village football team, known as “The Butterboys” as most were employed by Hill View Dairy. A new housing development, The Old Dairy, off Higher Street, now stands on the site. The book is a permanent testament to ensure their sacrifice will not be forgotten. A copy is available to read in the Church.
Also, we are proud of our commemorative bench outside the Okeford Stores, paid for by funds raised by the very pro-active Village Community Group. Please take time to sit on the bench and look at a copy of that book, kept in a box at the side of the bench. Andrew updates both copies as new information comes to hand, but if you would like a printed copy as it is now, ask here.
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