Shaftesbury is located in North Dorset on the boundary with Wiltshire. It is one of the oldest towns in England and, from its position overlooking the Blackmore Vale, is certainly one of the most attractive. The steep cobbles of Gold Hill, immortalised in the Hovis bread adverts, is probably one of the most famous streets in the country. As such tourism is very much at the heart of the local rural economy with the town marketed as the gateway to the South West. The town is the main shopping and service centre for the surrounding area and provides a range of educational, health and recreational facilities. The High Street is renowned for its selection of independent specialist retailers, while also being home to multinational chains such as WH Smith, Boots, Woolworths and Edinburgh Woollen Mill. There is a Tesco store adjoining the High Street area.  There are two busy Industrial Estates, Longmead Industrial Estate (7.7 ha) and Wincombe Business Park (6.5 ha). These house the town's major employers of Blackmore Press, Dorset Chilled Foods, Stalbridge Linen and Wessex Electricals.
Shaftesbury is also the home of Dorset's last remaining weekly agricultural livestock market. Shaftesbury is just 5 miles from Gillingham to the west, and 18 miles from Salisbury to the east. The town lies on the A350 halfway between Blandford and Warminster, 7 miles south of the main arterial A303 trunk road. The nearest rail link is Gillingham. Shaftesbury has a total population of almost 7,000, a figure which is likely to rise considerably following the recent approval of planning consent of up to 700 homes on the towns eastern boundary. There is currently a proposal for an area of employment land to be created as part of this development alongside the A30 to the east of the town. LINKS. | 
