Established in 1957 in the old covered market in the centre of the medieval Dorset hilltop market town of Shaftesbury, Shaftesbury Arts Centre is now widely recognised as one of the best volunteer membership-led arts centres in South West England.

Our regular, varied and lively year-round programme of amateur and professional plays, films, music, dance, art, photography, workshops, and training courses draws people from far and wide including Wiltshire and Somerset.

The purpose of Shaftesbury Arts Centre remains basically the same today as when it was first established and as expressed in its constitution, namely…

‘to take the lead in seeking to optimise opportunities for the community of Shaftesbury and the surrounding area to experience and take part in a high standard of the widest range of the creative arts’.