PEOPLE can take a trip down memory lane and view an exhibition of Briantspuddle’s past.

The centenary exhibition celebrates the founding of the Bladen Estate and its legacy and will run from Saturday, August 9, to Saturday, August 23.

The Bladen Estate was created by Sir Ernest Debenham, of Debenhams stores, to fulfil his vision and advanced ideas on experimental and self-sufficient agriculture.

At its height in the 1920s the estate covered ten thousand acres of central Dorset, and amongst its many technological advances it was bottling long-life milk for the Cunard Line which was shipped as far afield as Rhodesia.

Debenham commissioned Arts and Crafts architects Halsey Ricardo, with lead architect MacDonald Gill in residence, to develop progressive designs of housing for estate workers and industrial buildings for the farming activities.

The buildings were constructed from bricks and innovative cavity-spaced concrete blocks manufactured on-site. Sir Ernest received his knighthood in recognition of his services to agriculture. The aim of the exhibition is to bring to a wider public this incredible chapter in social history and the wonderful legacy it has left.

The exhibition runs from Saturday, August 9, through to Saturday, August 23, in Briantpsuddle Village Hall (DT2 7HT) and will be open from 1pm to 4pm weekdays and 10am to 4pm on the weekends. Admission is free and refreshments are available. There is access for disabled people and free parking. See briantspuddle.info