The village is on the south bank of the River Stour, immediately opposite the larger town of Blandford Forum.

[1] The appropriate electoral ward is called 'Portman' with naturally the most populous area being south of the river.

Outline planning permission has been given to redevelop the Hall & Woodhouse brewery site to include new offices and 200 new homes.

Lower Blandford St Mary is a rural outpost of Blandford St Mary, in the farm fields to the south across the bypass road, with a small church and graveyard, and one or two historic houses.

This was demolished when the line amalgamated to be part of the Somerset & Dorset Railway, and a bridge was built over the river Stour to the station at Blandford.