Back in 1987, Prince Charles stood gazing out over the farmland west of the little town of Dorchester in southern England.
He was absolutely fed up with the way modern urban planning had turned out, all functionalism and car traffic, and he longed for towns that encouraged human encounters, sustainability and a real sense of community. And since he happened to be Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall, he decided to do something most people can only dream of: build an entirely new town for 5,800 residents, right there on the fields.
Fast forward to today.
Charles is now King of the United Kingdom, and Dorchester has gained a new, picture-book district called Poundbury, home to more than 3,000 people.
Through Poundbury runs Bridport Road, east to west, lined with two- and three-storey stone houses that look as though they were built a century ago. On the ground floors, small charming shops welcome visitors, with apartments perched above.
At the eastern end, Bridport Road meets Great Cranford Street. And there, rising like a Roman-style courthouse, stands Dorchester Fire Station. If you squint your eyes a little, you’ll spot the red folding doors, covered with small windows – and, down in the bottom right corner, the discreet Torverk logo.
The fire station was designed by Charles himself in a neo-classical style. And perhaps it was the monarch who also insisted that the station should be fitted with extra well-insulated, hand-built folding doors from Torverk, in Torsby, Sweden.
The doors were delivered and installed by our trusted UK partner, HAG Ltd.
And the town of Poundbury? It’s still growing. The district is expected to be fully completed in 2026.