| Loders |
| The name of this parish is an ancient
one and was possibly the old name of the river which is called Asker
today. In the Domesday Survey it was recorded as Lodre or Lodres then
changed to Loddre or Loddress in 1244 and in 1291 changed again to
Loderes. The Celtic river name which became the village name is thought
to mean 'the pool stream' from the Celtic lo 'pool' and dour 'water' a
good example of this is found in the Looe in Cornwall and the second
word as in Dover in Kent, and also in the Dorset name of Toller which
means 'hollow stream'. Uploders which is nearby is recorded in the Domesday Book as Lodre and in 1445 it was Uppelodres and a year later as Uplodre. The first part of the word Up meaning 'higher upstream'. The main street of Loders is charming and has all stone buildings that date back to the 17th and 19th centuries with one house dated 1788. The church is dedicated to St Mary Magdalene and is from 1107-1410 the priory church is all medieval, but the Victorians once again made their mark with their famous restorations i the 19th century. The prettiest part of the church being the south chapel which is 15th century. To the north of the church is the late 18th century Loders Court whose lovely gardens surround the church. Uploders is a part of Loders and despite this it has the feeling of separation. Here too are a nice selection of stone buildings mostly from the 18th and 19th centuries, with Upton Manor Farm being the best of them, this lies at the eastern end of the village, and is a huge quadrangle of farm buildings and the house all of which are stone built and with either thatched or pan tile roofs. Here too is a Wesleyan chapel dated 1827. Mangerton lies to the west and this is a hamlet in the steep little green hills which are common in this part of Dorset. The area is heavily wooded and has some stone walls with plain stone buildings. There is a mill here and this has been opened to the public and is in the middle of being restored.
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