Houses on St John's Hill, Wareham

All these houses were built in the early nineteenth century; the elegant house to the left stands out because it has not tried to conceal its facade of local red bricks.

The local name of St John's Hill - one still used by some residents - was ‘Sawpits’, which may indicate the former existence of timber merchants in this area.

Wareham's markets

The open square in St John’s Hill was used as a cattle market; it may have been the site of one or more of the town’s fairs.

In 1272 Wareham was granted the right to hold a weekly Saturday market. Nowadays this market is held on the town's quay, but in earlier days it would have been held closer to the town centre.

There is a record of a grant in 1280 of the the right to hold the fair of St John the Baptist - this was presumably an annual fair - in Wareham. Judging by its name and open square, St John's Hill was probably the site of this market.


A dull, colourless day, so a black and white image was most appropriate; it also lends these 200 year old buildings a more timeless atmosphere.