The Annual Parish Meeting will be held in the VILLAGE HALL on the 29th June @ 7:30pm. This is an opportunity for village organisations to present their annual reports to a wider audience in the village.

As with all current public meetings this will be based on sensible Covid precautions. These will include appropriate social distancing measures being in place, the wearing of face masks and a maximum number of attendees for the space.

All of these precautions will be in line with Government Guidelines, at the discretion of the Parish Council and monitored during the evening.

 MAY 1st -

The village hall Chairman is looking for new Committee members, a Secretary and also a cleaner. More here 
The village hall will re-open Thursday June 3rd - more here

Would you like to have 'pub evenings' in the village hall ? more here Friday, June 25th 1830-2130 Social Evening - open bar selling soft drinks, wine, beer plus light refreshments.

 COVID RULES WHATS CHANGED - READ HERE WHAT YOU CAN AND CAN'T DO NOW
 PLEASE DO ADHERE TO GOVERNMENT GUIDELINES TO KEEP SAFE    

WHILST THE RULES ON EXERCISING HAVE BEEN RELAXED YOU ARE ADVISED TO MINIMISE THE NUMBER OF JOURNEYS YOU MAKE SO YOUR RESPECT FOR THE SAFETY & SENSITIVITY OF OUR RESIDENTS IS APPRECIATED AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AGAIN WHEN LIFE RETURNS TO GREATER NORMALITY

WE HAVE HAD A POEM SENT TO US BY A MELBURY RESIDENT - IT WAS WRITTEN SOME YEARS AGO BY  A FORMER RESIDENT PIERS SKIDMORE - SOME OF YOU MAY REMEMBER HIM - CLICK HERE TO READ IT IN FULL BUT THE BELOW GIVES YOU A FLAVOUR OF HIS CREATIVE JUICES! WE DONT THINK HE WOULD MAKE POET LAUREATE BUT IT'S FUN!!

 Click here for more details on the great news that superfast broadband has arrived in the village.

St Osmund’s is in the Gothic style with 5 bells and during the restoration in 1888 by the 5^th Earl of Ilchester a Norman font of Ham Hill stone was found built into the masonry, the chancel was lengthened in 1910.

The major part of Melbury Osmond village lies on a cul-de-sac lane which from the church descends past cottages to a stream and ford. The attractive appearance of the village has been noted by commentators: it has been described as "a calendar smith’s dream of thatched cottages" and in 1906 Sir Frederick Treves wrote that it was "the most charming village in these Western backwoods".

In its history the village has been involved in the trade of plated buckles and horn buttons, and the manufacture of dowlas. During the 19th century, the village was home to the Dorset Ooser, a wooden mask brought out during "Rough Music" ceremonies.

There are 34 listed buildings and structures within the parish, including the Grade II* Old Rectory and the Grade I parish church.

Thomas Hardy's mother lived in Melbury Osmond as a child, and she was married in the church.The village appears as "Little Hintock" in Hardy's novel The Woodlanders, in which the heroine's name is "Grace Melbury". Hardy also incorporated a legend about the Duke of Monmouth taking refuge in one of the village's cottages into his short story "The Duke's Reappearance".