Blue Skies over Blandford

The beautiful weather over east Dorset made a drive to Blandford with my mum an undiluted pleasure. I love all the small Dorset towns, each of which has its own character; Georgian Blandford's splendour is the intersecting curves of its sweeping roofscape.

The town centre was largely rebuilt after a catastrophic fire in 1731, resulting in the replacement of the old church with a great Palladian fabric which, seen from some angles, wouldn't be out of place in an Italian city. The blue sky helps.

Inside the church is being restored - but it has taken years and will take years more. The plaster and paint peels and flakes.

The Age UK shop not only afforded me two nice ties but also a surprise in the shape of a spectacular plaster ceiling in a rear room. The building used to be the house of John Bastard, one of the brother architects largely responsible for Blandford's reconstruction, and the room was a showcase for the firm.