Stalbridge

Coordinates: 50°57′34″N 2°22′42″W / 50.9594°N 2.3784°W / 50.9594; -2.3784

Stalbridge /ˈstɔːlbrɪdʒ/ is a small town and civil parish in Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale area of North Dorset district, near the border with Somerset. In the 2011 census the civil parish—which includes the small settlement of Stalbridge Weston to the southwest—had 1,160 households and a population of 2,698. The nearest towns are Sturminster Newton, 4 miles (6.4 km) south east, Sherborne, 6 miles (9.7 km) west, and Shaftesbury, 7 miles (11 km) north east. Stalbridge is situated on the A357 road on a low limestone ridge, one mile west of the River Stour. It officially became a town in April 1992.

Though relatively small, Stalbridge has its own independent supermarket, a newsagent, electronics store, GP surgery, dentist and optician, as well as many other services, reflecting its catchment area of surrounding farms and hamlets. It is also home to the local free newspaper, the Blackmore Vale Magazine.