Toller Whelme


Toller Whelme is a small village in Dorset, England, situated in the civil parish of Corscombe approximately east of Beaminster, north of Bridport and north-west of Dorchester. There are seven homes including: West Farm, Norcombe Hayes, Manor House, West Farm Cottage, East Farm Cottage, East Farm and Lake Farm.
Toller Whelme takes its name from the River Toller, at the source of which it stands: the second element Whelme means river source or spring in Anglo-Saxon. It has occasionally in the past also been known as Pinny's Toller or Penny Toller, from the name of the landowning Pinney family formerly established here at the manor house.
Older buildings in the village include the manor house, a nearby converted barn, and two nearby adjoining cottages. The Manor House perimeter wall exterior exhibits 'sockets' that in the past held the roof joists of a series of small lean-to style cottages that no longer exist. In the village there is also a farm, with a relatively new farmhouse structure. A lake was created in front of the farmhouse in the 1970s to provide water for the farm cattle during drought conditions.
Toller Whelme is a modern ecclesiastical parish, formed in 1871 from the ancient parish of Corscombe; the Anglican church of St John was built the previous year.