For the tourist on the lookout for an example of quiet English south coast living, there’s a “ten-best places to live” town in Bridport, Dorset just waiting to be explored. Bounded on one side by the sea, the town once boasted an active seaport, and now benefits from its West Bay harbor, about a mile away.

There are several attractive suburban districts that make up Bridport proper, and it has a rich geologic history. In fact, there are fine examples of Jurassic period fossils throughout most…