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The town that King Charles III built

51 Vues 0 J'aime Posté sur: October 8th 2026

The town that King Charles III built   

Level A2-B1

Poundbury is an unusual town in Dorset, England. “What’s so unusual about it?” you ask. It only exists because it was a dream of King Charles III! 

When he was Prince of Wales, Charles often criticised modern architecture. He wanted British towns to have traditional buildings and stronger communities. In 1988, he asked architect Leon Krier to plan a place where people could live, work and spend timetogether, without ever leaving the town. Poundbury was born. 

GE_octobre_8_The town that King Charles
GE_octobre_8_The town that King Charles

 Charles and Krier decided to build Poundbury as an extension of a town called Dorchester. They also copied Dorchester’s traditional architecture. Construction began in 1993, and the development covers 400 acres. The town is currently still under construction until 2028.  

 

Poundbury looks like a traditional English village. It has houses, a school, shops and 250 businesses close together. But there are also green areas that encourage walking and cycling from one place to another. The cottages are made from Dorset stone and other buildings are inspired by Georgian and Regency styles. More than 5,000 people live in Poundbury, and over 2,700 people work in its shops, offices, factories, pubs, restaurants and cafés.  

 

At first, Poundbury received a lot of criticism. Some people called it a “feudal Disneyland” or a “ghost town”. They thought it was artificial and didn’t have the character of a genuine old town. But other people liked the idea. Architect Witold Rybczynskipraised Poundbury for reducing the need for cars and giving residents green spaces to enjoy their free time. 

 

Poundbury is an environmentally friendly town. You can find features like parks, solar panels, rainwater recycling and electric vehicle charging points all over town. There is also a community farm, giving residents a closer connection to nature and farming. 

 

What do residents of Poundbury say about their town? Most residents love living there because it has such a good community vibe. And sometimes, they even bump into the King! 

Unusual: peu commun 

A place: un endroit 

To spend time: passer du temps 

Ever: (ici) jamais 

To leave : quitter

Currently: actuellement 

Stone: en pierre 

An office: un bureau 

A factory: une usine 


Feudal: féodal 

Genuine: véritable

To praise: ne dire que du bien 
Features: caractéristiques 

A panel: un panneau 


Rainwater recycling: la récupération et le recyclage de l’eau de pluie 


A vibe: une ambiance 


Even: même 

To bump into: croiser 

Photo de couverture : ©gettysignature/Canva
Première photo de l'article : ©gettysignatureCanva
Deuxième photo de l'article : ©gettysignature/Canva

Publié dans: Voyage

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