Woolsbridge was formerly under the control of the Earl of Normanton and is a part of the civil parish of Cranbourne.

[2] Woolsbridge was previously the terminus point of the A31 road which was widened in 1762 by an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain.

In 2019, there was a further application to East Dorset District Council to build nineteen new units based on spare farmland that had previously been purchased for the construction of the road.

[6] The council removed thirteen hectares of land from the green belt registration to permit this.

[5] Dorset County Council also considered Woolsbridge as the location for an incinerator despite objections from the local residents.