Finding Poundbury

by Vivienne Westwood and Tony Merrill

Following our recent features exploring Poundbury's significance at national and county levels, we hear from Vivienne and Tony about what it means at the personal level when you're considering making this unique place your home.

Credit: V. Westwood

Vivienne and Tony's Journey So Far

When Tony first suggested we look at Poundbury, I'll admit I was sceptical. I'd seen the headlines over the years regarding some of King Charles' ideas - some glowing, some dismissive - and wasn't sure what to make of this 'experimental town'. But we were ready for a change, and something about the idea kept pulling us back here.

If I'm honest, it started with exhaustion. We've been living in an apartment in a Victorian house in a large town, and while our apartment is perfectly nice and the sea view is great, the daily reality has worn us down. Tony drives to the shops for milk. I drive to meet a friend for coffee. We barely see our neighbours. Everything feels...disconnected.

We stumbled across Poundbury almost by accident, reading about walkable communities and car-light living. The philosophy resonated immediately; the idea that a place could be designed around people rather than vehicles, where a pint of milk doesn't require a car journey, where you might actually bump into your neighbours at the bakery.

Credit: V. Westwood

First Impressions

Our first visit was on a grey February afternoon, which felt like a fair test. We parked and just...walked. And kept walking. What struck us wasn't perfection, it was liveliness and a sense of space. People were out. Not just rushing from car to door, but actually out. Someone was chatting to a shopkeeper. Children were walking home from school. An elderly man was posting a letter.

Tony noticed the architecture first; how varied it was, how it was all on a human scale. 'It doesn't feel like a housing estate,' he said. He was right. It feels like a place that has evolved, even though we know it hasn't.

I noticed the little things: the lack of satellite dishes, the integrated commercial spaces, the fact that you can't tell which buildings are social housing and which are private. There's a dignity to it that I like.

Some Doubts

Of course, we had questions. Is it too curated? Will it feel like living in a theme park? Some of the critiques we'd read stuck with us. And practically speaking, there's the cost; not just of houses, but of completely reshaping our lives.

We also wondered whether we were romanticising things; looking for a sense of community that's increasingly rare everywhere, not just in conventional developments. Can urban planning really deliver the intangible things we were hoping for?

But then we visited again and again - we've been four times now - and we keep seeing the evidence. The same people recognising each other on the street. The elderly couple who walk to the shops and stop for tea. The teenagers who seem to have independence without their parents worrying.

Why We're Moving Forward

What keeps bringing us back is this: Poundbury seems to take seriously the idea that how we build affects how we live. Whether you love or hate the aesthetic, that underlying principle feels increasingly important to us. We want to live somewhere intentional.

Tony's convinced by the sustainability aspect; the reduced car dependence, the mixed-use model and, of course, the absence of parking problems. I'm drawn to the possibility of knowing our neighbours, of having a life that's woven into a real place rather than just happening in spite of our surroundings.

We are convinced Poundbury is where we want to live. We're still weighing up the practical, the financial, the emotional, but we're far closer than we were.

We'd love to hear from residents: What made you finally decide to move to Poundbury? And more importantly, has the reality matched the hopes that brought you here?

Share your thoughts and experiences at secretary@lovepoundbury.org

Check our our Virtual Community Hub for more information on living in Poundbury, community life, and working here.