The small village of Langton Matravers is located in south-east Purbeck between the Parishes of Swanage and Worth Matravers. It is a great base or exploring the Purbeck countryside and coast as there are many good walking routes nearby. The area around the village is very well known for its quarrying industry. Purbeck stone has been used as a traditional building material since Roman times and the local museum tells the story of this important local industry.
There are not many amenities in the village but the village is just a six minute drive from the popluar seaside town of Swanage which has a good selection of shops and restaurants and other amenities.
You can explore the limestone landscape of Purbeck and see evidence of the centuries of stone quarrying on the popular local footpaths such the ones to Spyway and Dancing Ledge. Here you can also see some fantastic views of the Jurassic Coast or take a walk to the Keates Quarry to see some Dinosaur footprints.
Find a description of the walk to Spyway and Dancing Ledge on the National Trust website:
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/dorset/spyway/spyway-sea-saunter
The parish church of St George at Langton Matravers dates from the 14th century although rebuilt in the 19th century. Every year it hosts the popular St Aldhelm Chritmas Tree Festival when the church is filled with a number of trees, decorated by the local community to raise moneh for charity.
The church is also used for a number of concerts by local choirs and Purbeck Art Weeks festival. There is also an annual village fete in the church grounds held in August. Find out more about the church on their website at https://staldhelmpurbeck.wordpress.com/st-georges-langton/
There is a bus from Langton which travels from Poole via Wareham to Swanage. Link to timetable:
https://www.morebus.co.uk/services/WDBC/40
A useful website about Langton Matravers is the Langton Matravers Local History and Preservation Society at: https://www.langtonia.org/.
It’s a great source of information on the local museum as well as some good articles on Langton Matravers’ history and some local events too.
