Wimborne Minster
Encyclopedia
Wimborne Minster is a market town in the East Dorset
district of Dorset
in South West England
, and the name of the Church of England
church in that town. The central town has a population of 6,418 (according to the 2001 Census
) and is situated at the confluence
of the River Stour
and River Allen, five miles north of Poole
.
The Mayor of Wimborne is currently Robin D Cook. who held the post previously. The town and its administrative area is served by eleven councillors and one from the nearby ward of Cranfield. Wimborne is twinned with Valognes
, France and Ochsenfurt
, Germany.
of Wimborne is regarded as one of the foremost collections of 15th, 16th and 17th century buildings in Dorset
. Local planning has restricted the construction of new buildings in areas such as the Corn Market and the High Street, which has preserved almost all of the original buildings. The most interesting examples of English architecture include the centuries-old Wimborne Minster, the Town Hall, the Priest's House Museum
and dozens of original 16th, 17th and 18th century fronted shops and pubs. The town is also home to the Tivoli Theatre
, a 1930's art deco
cinema and theatre.
Church, with Norman
and Gothic
architecture. It is famed for its unique chained library and the tombs of King Ethelred
, the brother of Alfred the Great
, as well as the tombs of John Beaufort
, Duke of Somerset
, and his duchess, the maternal grandparents of King Henry VII of England
.
, which was opened by Christopher Awdry
. Children are invited to complete a quiz sheet (there are several, graded by age).
Awards and Silver Gilt medallist in the national competition. The town welcomes visitors each summer with a display of flowers in six large gardened areas of the town.
On weekends and national holidays, the town crier
can be seen in the main square and around the Minster. The legacy and position of the town crier date back to the Civil War
. The town has a large civil war re-enactment society, which performs every year.
The town has a well-established and large market. The market is held on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It was previously located in the Town Centre but moved out several years ago to a site on the edge of town to accommodate its size.
Annually, Wimborne hosts the longest fireworks display in Dorset, as part of its Guy Fawkes
celebrations; a county record that it has held for the last seven years. The display is held each year in the grounds of St Michael's Church of England Middle School
and is well supported by many thousands of people from the town, Colehill
village and the surrounding area. All proceeds are donated each year to local schools, and since 2004 over £40,000 has been raised for local school projects and equipment.
Every two years in mid-August, the Park Initiative, an inter-church charity working on Leigh Park estate, holds a community event called "Alive in the Park" in the centre of the estate using a large marquee.
Every summer in June the town holds the Wimborne Folk Festival
. Founded in 1980, the annual event of Traditional Folk Dance
and Song has become the focal point for the largest gathering of dance teams and musicians in the South of England. The festival is considered by many to be the town's major event of the year and is highly regarded nationally as one of the largest events of its kind in the country. The festival involves Morris Dancing
. The regional festival is attended by over 15,000 people across its weekend with parts of the town being closed to traffic.
with Ochsenfurt
in Germany Valognes
in France
Wimborne has many pubs. Many of these pubs are centuries old, with some dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries. Below is a list of pubs in central Wimborne.
s (St John's First School, Wimborne First School and Merley First School) and two Middle School
s (St Michaels Middle School and Allenbourn Middle School). Wimborne First School, formerly Wimborne Primary School, has been educating the children of Wimborne Minster to primary level, since 1911. Wimborne and the area of Merley
are served by two Upper School
s in the local region: Corfe Hills School
and
Queen Elizabeth's School
.
Queen Elizabeth's School
, has very close links with the Minster and was founded by Lady Margaret Beaufort in 1497. After her death the school became Wimborne Grammar School
. Although the Grammar School buildings still remain they have now been converted to flats. The school was established on its current site in 1972 after the merging of Wimborne Grammar School and the County Modern School
.
Perhaps the most famous of educational institutions in Wimborne is the private Canford School
on the edge of Wimborne, Merley and Canford. There is also a local Roman Catholic primary school, St Catherine's in Colehill. The nearby first schools of Hayeswood and Colehill also serve Wimborne.
has headquarters in Wimborne and employs a large proportion of its residents. The economy of the main town is dedicated towards Leisure and has many shops
, restaurants and pubs. Tourism
is an important aspect in the town's economy.
. The station was built for Southampton and Dorchester Railway
, later part of the London and South Western Railway
. It was later expanded when the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway
was constructed between Bath and Poole
. Wimborne was as a reversing point on the Somerset and Dorset, but its importance was reduced when an avoiding line was built from Bailey Gate to Broadstone, Dorset
. The station also had a large goods yard, of which the present site today is occupied by the weekly Wimborne Market. The station was closed to passengers in 1964 and sundries (parcels and light goods) in 1966 as a result of the Beeching Axe
programme. The final goods trains ran in May 1977.
East Dorset
East Dorset is a local government district in Dorset, England. Its council is based in Furzehill, near Wimborne Minster.The district was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of Wimborne Minster Urban District with part of the Ringwood and Fordingbridge Rural District and the Wimborne and Cranborne...
district of Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
in South West England
South West England
South West England is one of the regions of England defined by the Government of the United Kingdom for statistical and other purposes. It is the largest such region in area, covering and comprising Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. ...
, and the name of the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
church in that town. The central town has a population of 6,418 (according to the 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
) and is situated at the confluence
Confluence (geography)
In geography, a confluence is the meeting of two or more bodies of water. It usually refers to the point where two streams flow together, merging into a single stream...
of the River Stour
River Stour, Dorset
The River Stour is a 60.5 mile long river which flows through Wiltshire and Dorset in southern England, and drains into the English Channel. It is sometimes called the Dorset Stour to distinguish it from rivers of the same name...
and River Allen, five miles north of Poole
Poole
Poole is a large coastal town and seaport in the county of Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester, and Bournemouth adjoins Poole to the east. The Borough of Poole was made a unitary authority in 1997, gaining administrative independence from Dorset County Council...
.
The Mayor of Wimborne is currently Robin D Cook. who held the post previously. The town and its administrative area is served by eleven councillors and one from the nearby ward of Cranfield. Wimborne is twinned with Valognes
Valognes
Valognes is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France.It lies on the Merderet river, southeast of Cherbourg.-History:...
, France and Ochsenfurt
Ochsenfurt
Ochsenfurt is a town in the district of Würzburg, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the left bank of the River Main, here crossed by a stone bridge, 13 miles south from Würzburg by the railway to Munich, and at the junction of a line to Röttingen. Pop. 11,600...
, Germany.
Buildings and architecture
The architectureArchitecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
of Wimborne is regarded as one of the foremost collections of 15th, 16th and 17th century buildings in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
. Local planning has restricted the construction of new buildings in areas such as the Corn Market and the High Street, which has preserved almost all of the original buildings. The most interesting examples of English architecture include the centuries-old Wimborne Minster, the Town Hall, the Priest's House Museum
Priest's House Museum
The Priest's House Museum is a local museum in the town of Wimborne Minster in Dorset, England. It is located on the high street, opposite the Church of Wimborne Minster...
and dozens of original 16th, 17th and 18th century fronted shops and pubs. The town is also home to the Tivoli Theatre
Tivoli Theatre (Wimborne Minster)
The Tivoli Theatre in Wimborne Minster, Dorset, was built in Wimborne Minster in 1936 as a theatre and cinema. It features a wide variety of Art Deco features, including original chrome and Bakelite door handles....
, a 1930's art deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
cinema and theatre.
Wimborne Minster Church
This is a SaxonAnglo-Saxon architecture
Anglo-Saxon architecture was a period in the history of architecture in England, and parts of Wales, from the mid-5th century until the Norman Conquest of 1066. Anglo-Saxon secular buildings in Britain were generally simple, constructed mainly using timber with thatch for roofing...
Church, with Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
and Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
architecture. It is famed for its unique chained library and the tombs of King Ethelred
Ethelred of Wessex
King Æthelred I was King of Wessex from 865 to 871. He was the fourth son of King Æthelwulf of Wessex...
, the brother of Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great was King of Wessex from 871 to 899.Alfred is noted for his defence of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of southern England against the Vikings, becoming the only English monarch still to be accorded the epithet "the Great". Alfred was the first King of the West Saxons to style himself...
, as well as the tombs of John Beaufort
John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset
John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset, KG was an English noble and military commander.-Family:Baptised on 25 March 1404, he was the second son of John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset and Margaret Holland, and succeeded his elder brother Henry Beaufort, 2nd Earl of Somerset to become the 3rd Earl of...
, Duke of Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, and his duchess, the maternal grandparents of King Henry VII of England
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
.
Wimborne Model Town
The model town is one of the largest and most established model towns in England. It depicts Wimborne at the time it was made, in the 1950s. It is at 1/10 scale, so the model of the Minster is several feet high. The shop windows accurately show the goods the shops were selling at the time. The exhibition also includes a model railway based on Thomas the Tank EngineThomas the Tank Engine
Thomas the Tank Engine is a fictional steam locomotive in The Railway Series books by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry and his son, Christopher. He became the most popular character in the series, and the accompanying television spin-off series, Thomas and Friends.Thomas is a tank engine, painted blue...
, which was opened by Christopher Awdry
Christopher Awdry
Christopher Awdry is an English author best known for his contributions to The Railway Series of books featuring Thomas the Tank Engine, which was started by his father, the Rev. W. Awdry. He has also produced children's books based on a number of other railways, as well as non-fiction articles...
. Children are invited to complete a quiz sheet (there are several, graded by age).
Events
Wimborne Minster was winner of the regional Britain in BloomBritain in Bloom
RHS Britain in Bloom, supported by Anglian Home Improvements, is the largest horticultural campaign in the United Kingdom. It was first held in 1963, initiated by the British Tourist Board based on the example set by Fleurissement de France. It has been organised by the Royal Horticultural Society ...
Awards and Silver Gilt medallist in the national competition. The town welcomes visitors each summer with a display of flowers in six large gardened areas of the town.
On weekends and national holidays, the town crier
Town crier
A town crier, or bellman, is an officer of the court who makes public pronouncements as required by the court . The crier can also be used to make public announcements in the streets...
can be seen in the main square and around the Minster. The legacy and position of the town crier date back to the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
. The town has a large civil war re-enactment society, which performs every year.
The town has a well-established and large market. The market is held on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It was previously located in the Town Centre but moved out several years ago to a site on the edge of town to accommodate its size.
Annually, Wimborne hosts the longest fireworks display in Dorset, as part of its Guy Fawkes
Guy Fawkes
Guy Fawkes , also known as Guido Fawkes, the name he adopted while fighting for the Spanish in the Low Countries, belonged to a group of provincial English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605.Fawkes was born and educated in York...
celebrations; a county record that it has held for the last seven years. The display is held each year in the grounds of St Michael's Church of England Middle School
St Michael's Church of England Middle School
St. Michael's Middle School is a Church of England Middle School in Colehill, Dorset. The local church is just round the corner, and makes it a good atmosphered CofE school. But it is not a sole religious School and parents can opt to take their Children out of the religious assemblies. Age ranges...
and is well supported by many thousands of people from the town, Colehill
Colehill
Colehill is a parish, neighbouring Wimborne Minster, in Dorset, England, with a population of 7,000 .-History:The name Colehill originated in 1431 as Colhulle, becoming Colhill in 1518 and Collehill in 1547, but the origins of Colehill as a settlement predate this by a long way.Six round barrows,...
village and the surrounding area. All proceeds are donated each year to local schools, and since 2004 over £40,000 has been raised for local school projects and equipment.
Every two years in mid-August, the Park Initiative, an inter-church charity working on Leigh Park estate, holds a community event called "Alive in the Park" in the centre of the estate using a large marquee.
Folk Festival
Wimborne Folk Festival
Wimborne Folk Festival is an annual festival of English folk music and dance, held in Wimborne Minster in the English county of Dorset.The Festival was founded in 1980, and is billed as a festival of "Traditional Folk Dance, English and Celtic Music and Song"...
. Founded in 1980, the annual event of Traditional Folk Dance
Folk dance
The term folk dance describes dances that share some or all of the following attributes:*They are dances performed at social functions by people with little or no professional training, often to traditional music or music based on traditional music....
and Song has become the focal point for the largest gathering of dance teams and musicians in the South of England. The festival is considered by many to be the town's major event of the year and is highly regarded nationally as one of the largest events of its kind in the country. The festival involves Morris Dancing
Morris dance
Morris dance is a form of English folk dance usually accompanied by music. It is based on rhythmic stepping and the execution of choreographed figures by a group of dancers. Implements such as sticks, swords, handkerchiefs and bells may also be wielded by the dancers...
. The regional festival is attended by over 15,000 people across its weekend with parts of the town being closed to traffic.
Famous residents
- Michael Medwin
- Jimmy GlassJimmy GlassJames "Jimmy" Glass is a former football goalkeeper. Glass is remembered for scoring the last-minute goal which kept Carlisle United in the Football League in 1999...
- Bruce JensenBruce JensenBruce Jensen is a US illustrator who has created book covers for science fiction authors such as Kim Stanley Robinson, Neal Stephenson, Charles Sheffield, Joe Haldeman, Linda Nagata, and Philip K. Dick. His covers were described by Nagata as "deftly illustrat[ing] the mood, the feeling of the book"...
- Electric WizardElectric WizardElectric Wizard are a stoner metal band from Dorset, England that formed in 1993. The band have since recorded seven albums, at least three of which are now considered to be landmarks of their genre: their self-title debut, Electric Wizard, Come My Fanatics..., and Dopethrone...
- Elliott Andrews - Session Drummer
Notable people
- Saint Lioba
- Pope JoanPope JoanPope Joan is a legendary female Pope who, it is purported, reigned for a few years some time in the Middle Ages. The story first appeared in the writings of 13th-century chroniclers, and subsequently spread through Europe...
- Thomas HardyThomas HardyThomas Hardy, OM was an English novelist and poet. While his works typically belong to the Naturalism movement, several poems display elements of the previous Romantic and Enlightenment periods of literature, such as his fascination with the supernatural.While he regarded himself primarily as a...
- Isaac GulliverIsaac GulliverThe name of three generations of Gullivers from Semington in Wiltshire, England during the 18th and early 19th century; Isaac Gulliver was so successful as a smuggler on the south coast that he came to control its length from Lymington on The Solent in Hampshire, through Dorset to Torbay on the...
- Tim Berners-LeeTim Berners-LeeSir Timothy John "Tim" Berners-Lee, , also known as "TimBL", is a British computer scientist, MIT professor and the inventor of the World Wide Web...
, the inventor of the World Wide WebWorld Wide WebThe World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
. - Robert FrippRobert FrippRobert Fripp is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. He was ranked 42nd on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and #47 on Gibson.com’s "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". Among rock guitarists, Fripp is a master of crosspicking, a technique...
of King CrimsonKing CrimsonKing Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history... - Al StewartAl StewartAl Stewart is a Scottish singer-songwriter and folk-rock musician.Stewart came to stardom as part of the British folk revival in the 1960s and 1970s, and developed his own unique style of combining folk-rock songs with delicately woven tales of the great characters and events from history.He is...
- Montague John Druitt, one of the people on the list of proposed Jack the Ripper suspects, was born and buried in Wimborne.
- Andrew Edmonds, contestant in Big Brother 2010 (UK)Big Brother 2010 (UK)Big Brother 2010 was the eleventh regular series of the British reality television series, Big Brother and the final series to be broadcast on Channel 4. The series was launched on Wednesday 9 June 2010, and was aired on Channel 4 and E4 for 77 days with the finale on 24 August 2010, where Josie...
- Lieutenant William CoxWilliam Cox (pioneer)William Cox was an English soldier, known as an explorer, road builder and pioneer in the early period of British settlement in Australia.-Early life:...
(1764–1837), Australian pioneer born in Wimborne. He was responsible for building the first road across the Blue Mountains west of Sydney and thus allowed the expansion and development of the new colony.
Twin towns
Wimborne Minster is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with Ochsenfurt
Ochsenfurt
Ochsenfurt is a town in the district of Würzburg, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the left bank of the River Main, here crossed by a stone bridge, 13 miles south from Würzburg by the railway to Munich, and at the junction of a line to Röttingen. Pop. 11,600...
in Germany Valognes
Valognes
Valognes is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France.It lies on the Merderet river, southeast of Cherbourg.-History:...
in France
Pubs
|
|
Education and schools
The Town has three First SchoolFirst School
First school and lower school are terms used in some areas of the United Kingdom to describe the first stage of primary education. Some English Local Education Authorities have introduced First Schools since the 1960s...
s (St John's First School, Wimborne First School and Merley First School) and two Middle School
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
s (St Michaels Middle School and Allenbourn Middle School). Wimborne First School, formerly Wimborne Primary School, has been educating the children of Wimborne Minster to primary level, since 1911. Wimborne and the area of Merley
Merley
Merley is a large housing estate in the borough of Poole, a mile south of Wimborne Minster. Originally called Myrle, Merley was a manor in the tithing of Great Canford...
are served by two Upper School
Upper school
Upper Schools tend to be schools within secondary education. Outside England, the term normally refers to a section of a larger school. There is some variation in the use of the term in England.-State Maintained Schools:...
s in the local region: Corfe Hills School
Corfe Hills School
Corfe Hills School, is a purpose built secondary school in the urban fringe between Poole and Wimborne, located in Broadstone, Poole, England. In 2001, the school was given Technology College status. The school has over 1600 students and over 100 teaching staff...
and
Queen Elizabeth's School
Queen Elizabeth's School, Wimborne Minster
Queen Elizabeth's School is a co-educational voluntary controlled Church of England secondary school in Wimborne Minster, Dorset, England.-Admissions:...
.
Queen Elizabeth's School
Queen Elizabeth's School, Wimborne Minster
Queen Elizabeth's School is a co-educational voluntary controlled Church of England secondary school in Wimborne Minster, Dorset, England.-Admissions:...
, has very close links with the Minster and was founded by Lady Margaret Beaufort in 1497. After her death the school became Wimborne Grammar School
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
. Although the Grammar School buildings still remain they have now been converted to flats. The school was established on its current site in 1972 after the merging of Wimborne Grammar School and the County Modern School
Secondary modern school
A secondary modern school is a type of secondary school that existed in most of the United Kingdom from 1944 until the early 1970s, under the Tripartite System, and was designed for the majority of pupils - those who do not achieve scores in the top 25% of the eleven plus examination...
.
Perhaps the most famous of educational institutions in Wimborne is the private Canford School
Canford School
Canford School is a coeducational independent school for both day and boarding pupils, in the village of Canford Magna, near to the market town of Wimborne Minster in Dorset, in South West England. The school was founded in 1923. There are approximately 600 pupils at Canford, organised into houses...
on the edge of Wimborne, Merley and Canford. There is also a local Roman Catholic primary school, St Catherine's in Colehill. The nearby first schools of Hayeswood and Colehill also serve Wimborne.
Clubs
Wimborne Rugby Club has been in existence in its present format since 1950 and is located at Leigh Park, Gordon Road on the eastern side of the market town of Wimborne. The Club boasts two playing pitches, changing rooms and a Clubhouse, comprising a large bar and function room, shop and excellent catering facilities. The Club supports a full range of teams from Minis through Juniors and Colts to Senior XVs, including a Veterans team and a very successful Girls/Ladies team.Trivia
Many residents and visitors of Wimborne are elderly, and in 2009 official statistics proved Wimborne to have the highest life expectancy for both men and women in the UK, with 9 out of 10 women expected to reach 75.Economy
The historically important aerospace company Cobham plcCobham plc
Cobham plc is a British manufacturing company based in Wimborne Minster, Dorset, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index...
has headquarters in Wimborne and employs a large proportion of its residents. The economy of the main town is dedicated towards Leisure and has many shops
Retailing
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
, restaurants and pubs. Tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
is an important aspect in the town's economy.
Wimborne railway station
From 1847 to 1977 Wimborne was served by a two platform railway stationWimborne railway station
Wimborne was a railway station in Wimborne Minster in the county of Dorset in England. Open from 1 June 1847 to 2 May 1977, it was sited just north of the River Stour in what is still Station Road. Built for the Southampton and Dorchester Railway, the station was operated from the start by the...
. The station was built for Southampton and Dorchester Railway
Southampton and Dorchester Railway
-Planning and Construction:The Southampton and Dorchester Railway, operating in the counties of Hampshire and Dorset, received Parliamentary Assent in 1845 and opened in 1847. The railway was promoted by a Wimborne solicitor, Charles Castleman...
, later part of the London and South Western Railway
London and South Western Railway
The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...
. It was later expanded when the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway
Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway
The Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway – almost always referred to as "the S&D" – was an English railway line connecting Bath in north east Somerset and Bournemouth now in south east Dorset but then in Hampshire...
was constructed between Bath and Poole
Poole
Poole is a large coastal town and seaport in the county of Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester, and Bournemouth adjoins Poole to the east. The Borough of Poole was made a unitary authority in 1997, gaining administrative independence from Dorset County Council...
. Wimborne was as a reversing point on the Somerset and Dorset, but its importance was reduced when an avoiding line was built from Bailey Gate to Broadstone, Dorset
Broadstone, Dorset
Broadstone is a town and suburb of Poole in Dorset, England. It is located from Hamworthy railway station and from Bournemouth International Airport. The town has a population of 10,256 according to the 2001 Census....
. The station also had a large goods yard, of which the present site today is occupied by the weekly Wimborne Market. The station was closed to passengers in 1964 and sundries (parcels and light goods) in 1966 as a result of the Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
programme. The final goods trains ran in May 1977.
External links
- Wimborne Minster and Christchurch Priory by Rev.Thomas Perkins. A Short History of Their Foundation and a Description of Their Buildings
- Census data
- Wimborne Minster
- Wimborne Town Council
- Wimborne Fireworks Display
- Wimborne Drama - local Am Dram Group
- Wimborne First School