Blandford Forum, commonly Blandford, is a market town in the North Dorset area of Dorset, England, sited by the River Stour regarding 13 mi (21 kilometres) northwest of Poole. It was the administrative headquarters of North Dorset District Council till April 2019, when area councils combined to come to be Dorset County Council. Blandford is significant for its Georgian style, the outcome of rebuilding after most of the community was damaged by a fire in 1731. The rebuilding work was aided by an Act of Parliament as well as a donation by George II, and the rebuilt town centre-- to layouts by local designers John and also William Bastard-- has survived to the present day largely intact. Blandford Camp, an army base, is sited on capitals 2 miles to the north eastern of the town. It is the base of the Royal Corps of Signals, the communications wing of the British Military, and the site of the Royal Signals Gallery. Dorset Area Council estimates that in 2013 the town's civil parish had a population of 10,610. The town's economic climate is based on a mix of the service industry and also light market, and offers employment for regarding 4,000 people.