Wimborne Minster

Wimborne Minster, also called just Wimborne, is a town of 16,000 people (2014) at the confluence of the River Stour and the River Allen, on the Dorset Heaths in Dorset, England. The namesake Minster, which is a beautiful large church, has existed for over 1300 years and is recognised for its unusual chained library (one of only four surviving chained libraries in the world).

Understand

The chained library in Wimborne Minster

Wimborne has one of the foremost collections of 15th-, 16th- and 17th-century buildings in Dorset. Examples include the church of Wimborne Minster, the town hall, the Priest's House Museum and dozens of 16th-, 17th- and 18th-century fronted shops and pubs. The town is home to the Tivoli Theatre, a 1930s art deco cinema and theatre.

Visitor information

• East Dorset Information Centre, 29 High Street, BH21 1HR (next to the Museum of East Dorset.). M–Sa 10AM–4PM. Volunteer run information centre. (updated Aug 2022)

Get in

5 miles north of Poole.

By bus

• Morebus run the 4 from Poole (up to 4 per hour M-F and less often at weekends), the 6 (hourly) from Bournemouth and the 13 (hourly) from Bournemouth.

See

• 1 Wimborne Minster, Church House, High St, BH21 1HT, ☏ +44 1202 884753. M–Sa 9:30AM–5:30PM, Su mornings for services and 2:30–5:30PM. For over 1300 years this church has been a living centre for pilgrimage, prayer, mission and worship. The foundation goes back to c. 705 AD, when Cuthburga, sister to Ina, King of the West Saxons, founded a nunnery on the site. Five hundred nuns are reputed to have lived at Wimborne, many of whom followed St. Boniface to the then pagan Germany, as missionaries. The chained library, founded in 1686, can be visited on weekdays Apr-Oct, no disabled access. (updated Oct 2023)
• 2 Tivoli Theatre, West Borough, BH21 1LT, ☏ +44 1202 885566. Built in 1936 as a theatre and cinema. It features a wide variety of Art Deco features, including original chrome and Bakelite door handles.  
• 3 Wimborne Model Town, King Street, BH21 1DY, ☏ +44 1202 881924. Located on the outskirts, 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 Engine, which was opened by Christopher Awdry. Children are invited to complete a quiz sheet (there are several, graded by age).  
• 4 Museum of East Dorset, 23-29 High St (opposite the Church of Wimborne Minster.), ☏ +44 1202 882533. M–Sa 10AM–4PM. 10 galleries on East Dorset archaeology, costume and more, including period rooms, plus a tea-room. (updated Aug 2022)

Do

• Wimborne Minster Folk Festival. 3 days in June. An annual event of traditional folk dance and music that is one of the largest gathering of dance teams and musicians in the South of England. The festival involves morris dancing, Appalachian dancing, concerts, workshops and children's activities, with parts of the town being closed to traffic. (updated Aug 2022)
• 1 Dreamboats, Riverside Park Industrial Estate. Weekends Jun–Sep 11AM–5PM. Kayak and rowing boat hire, run by a charity. (updated Aug 2022)

Buy

There are Co-op and Waitrose supermarkets near the town centre. There are an assortment of clothing and other smaller shops on the High St.

• Wimborne farmers’ market, Wimborne Square. Third Sa each month 9AM–1PM. (updated Aug 2022)

Eat

• 1 Rimjhim, 4 West St, BH21 1JN. Tu-Sa 5:30PM-11:00PM, Su 5:30PM-10:00PM. Indian restaurant. mains £10-30. (updated Oct 2023)

Drink

• 1 The Rising Sun, East St. Hall & Woodhouse pub with food at lunchtimes. (updated Oct 2023)

Sleep

• 1 Kings Head Hotel (Old English Inns), The Square, West Borough, BH21 1JG, ☏ +44 1202 880101. 200-year-old hotel. Pets are allowed in some rooms, if booked by phoning the hotel. from £50. (updated Aug 2022)
• 2 Gordon House, 42 West Borough, BH21 1NQ, ☏ +44 1202 885547. Guest House. from £70. (updated Oct 2023)

Go next

Routes through Wimborne Minster

Dorchester ← merges with at Bere Regis ←

W  E

→ Ringwood → Southampton