In the early 1950s, about a dozen -- mostly male -- citizens of the town met in the Wessex Tea Rooms (later the Wessex Royale), upstairs, to share their interest in oil painting.  By 1956 the active membership of this group had risen to 25, plus a few supporters, and under the chairmanship of Roy Parsons, on 9th April 1956, a formal club was proposed.  Mr Parsons is still an honorary member, but is no longer active. He remained chairman for the next 21 years, and was president for two more.  The secretary was R J Brackston and the treasurer, W R Morley:  Mesdames Bartlett, Newbery, Adams and Mr Weaver were also on the committee.  The annual sub was half a guinea, and the assets around £10.

The emphasis was on oil painting, and members brought their work for private exhibition and mutual advice.  In the summer sketching parties took place fortnightly, aided by the tutor, Mr Dawson.  In the winter, the 'Studio' was available both for available both for individual and organised activities: the 'Studio' at first was Salisbury Hall at the foot of High East Street (now occupied by the Jehovah's Witnesses) and was shared with the Ballet Club.  Skilled instruction was hard to obtain!

The first public exhibition took place in 1958, and was repeated annually until 1970 when both the ballet and art clubs moved to Grey School Passage, where the exhibitions took place in the roofless building which is now a garden.

The Ballet Club prospered to such an extent that in 1971 the DAC thought fit to move to the British Legion Hall behind the Three Mariners in High East Street, where the winter programme included a talk by Edward Wesson.

1973 and 1974 saw the club again removed, this time to the Church Hall behind the old R.C. church in Alington Street (now the Tutankhamun Exhibition).  John Brecknell was elected chairman in 1974.  '75 brought a longer spell, in All Saints Church Hall in Icen Way (now the Dinosaur Museum), where Eddie Grassby presided for a time, and perhaps fostered the changeover to watercolours. In 1984, the DAC, now with over 100 members (200 plus today) found another home in the Grove Arts Centre -- still with the balletomanes -- and prominent figures since then have included Peter Toms, Mary Bertram, Liz Deakin and David and Daphne Vulliamy.

This totals seven moves in 35 years; during this time oil painting has partly given way to other media.  (It is of interest that the Ballet Club Principal, Mrs E Goodchild, has also been in office for 35 years.)  There was an early move in the DAC to promote pottery, which evidently came to nothing, although the exhibition some years back used to include the work of some local potters.  There is also a record of black and white work being frowned upon!

In September 1994, as a consequence of the limited car parking adjoining the Grover Arts Centre, the Club decided to move to its eighth base, in St Georges' Church Hall, Fordington, in the east side of Dorchester, which has ample adjoining parking space, an excellent kitchen facilities, and it has met there regularly for its Autumn and Winter season meetings ever since.

The Club is indebted to a former member of the Club, Dr Nigel Blades (who sadly is no longer with us) for researching in 1993 the major part of the foregoing account.  Any member who has additional recollections of the early years of the Club is invited to contribute them to this brief history, by sending their memories to the General Secretary.