Winterborne Houghton is a village and civil parish in north Dorset, England. It is situated in a winterbourne valley on the Dorset Downs, southwest of Blandford Forum. In the 2011 census the parish had 82 households and a population of 183. In 2001 the population was 195. The name "Winterborne" derives from the River Winterborne, which has its source here. The river only flows overground during the winter, hence the name. To the east is Winterborne Stickland and the river flows on to this village, eventually joining the River Stour. To the southwest is Milton Abbas. Residents of Winterborne Houghton used to be known as "Houghton Owls", in reference to the story of a villager who, when calling for help having got lost in the woods, mistook the calls of owls for answering human voices. In his book Dorset Villages Roland Gant posits the theory that Thomas Hardy used this tale as inspiration for the scene where Joseph Poorgrass gets lost in Yalbury Wood in Far from the Madding Crowd. Church The village church is named after St Andrew and is a Grade II listed building, being so designated on 14 July 1955. It was designed by Thomas Henry Wyatt and built during 1861–62. It is in the Perpendicular style and faced with flint with a tiled roof. It has a simple plan with nave, chancel, north aisle and south porch. The tower is on the west end and is built in two stages with a battlemented parapet. Internally, the nave has a hammer beam roof and the chancel a wagon roof. The fifteenth century font has a carved octagonal bowl on an octagonal stem, and the other fittings are nineteenth century. Higher Houghton Higher Houghton is a smaller village (similar to Winterborne Clenston) located near the top of Winterborne Houghton. It is only accessible through the road from Winterborne Houghton. The village used to have stables and would offer horse riding sessions. Unfortunately, the stables closed down in 2020 due to poor business as a result of the pandemic. Occasionally, cross country horse races are held in fields in Higher Houghton. Houghton Down Houghton Down is a series of fields located in the west of Winterborne Houghton. It is accessible from the Bridleway (Footpath) leading to Milton Abbas. Amenities There used to be a post office in the village with a shop but this closed down sometime in the