Wimborne Minster facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wimborne Minster |
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 The medieval Wimborne Minster church |
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 Wimborne Minster
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| Population | 15,552 (2014 estimate ONS built-up area) |
| OS grid reference | SU015005 |
| Unitary authority |
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| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | WIMBORNE |
| Postcode district | BH21 |
| Dialling code | 01202 |
| Police | Dorset |
| Fire | Dorset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament |
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Wimborne Minster (often called Wimborne) is a busy market town in Dorset, South West England. It's also the name of a famous Church of England church in the town. Wimborne is located where two rivers, the River Stour and the River Allen, meet. It's about 5 miles (8 km) north of Poole. In 2014, about 15,552 people lived in the Wimborne Minster area.
Contents
Local Government
Wimborne Minster is part of the Dorset Council. The town and its nearby areas are looked after by local councillors. These councillors help make decisions for the community. Wimborne Minster is also part of the Mid Dorset and North Poole area for national elections.
Buildings and History
Wimborne has many old buildings from the 1400s, 1500s, and 1600s. Local rules help protect these historic buildings. This means that new buildings don't often replace the old ones. You can see many original shops and pubs from the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries.
Some important buildings include the Wimborne Minster church and the Wimborne Minster Town Hall. The Museum of East Dorset is also here. The town is home to the Tivoli Theatre, which is an old cinema and theatre from the 1930s.
Wimborne Minster Church
The Wimborne Minster Church is very old. It has parts built in the Saxon, Norman, and Gothic styles. It's famous for its chained library, where books are chained to shelves to keep them safe.
The church also holds the tomb of King Æthelred, who was the older brother of Alfred the Great. You can also find the tombs of John Beaufort and his wife here. They were the grandparents of King Henry VII of England. Their tombs are made from local Dorset Limestone.
Wimborne Model Town
The Wimborne Model Town is one of the biggest and oldest model towns in England. It shows what Wimborne looked like in the 1950s. Everything is built at a 1:10 scale. This means the model of the Minster church is several feet tall! Even the tiny shop windows show what goods were sold back then. The model town also has a model railway based on Thomas the Tank Engine.
Fun Events
On weekends and holidays, you might see the town crier in the main square. This tradition goes back to the English Civil War. The town also has a group that re-enacts civil war battles every year.
Wimborne Market
Wimborne has a large and popular market called the Wimborne Market. It takes place on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. It used to be in the town centre but moved to a bigger spot on the edge of town.
Fireworks Display
Every year, Wimborne hosts the longest fireworks display in Dorset. This is part of its Guy Fawkes celebrations. The bonfire and fireworks show happens at St Michael's Church of England Middle School. Many thousands of people come to watch. All the money raised goes to local schools. Since 2004, over £61,000 has been given to school projects!
Wimborne Minster Folk Festival
Every summer in June, Wimborne holds the Wimborne Minster Folk Festival. It started in 1980. This yearly event celebrates traditional folk dance and music. It brings together many dance teams and musicians from the South of England. The festival includes Morris dancing, Appalachian dancing, concerts, workshops, and activities for children. Some parts of the town are closed to traffic during the festival.
The festival was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, the festival committee helped provide food for people who were struggling.
Schools and Learning
Wimborne has several schools for different age groups. There are three first schools: St John's, Wimborne, and Pamphill. There are also two middle schools: St Michael's and Allenbourn.
For older students, there are two upper schools: Corfe Hills School and Queen Elizabeth's School. Queen Elizabeth's School has strong ties to the Minster church. It was founded in 1497 by Lady Margaret Beaufort. The old Grammar School buildings are now flats, but the school moved to its current site in 1972.
Local Media
For news and TV, Wimborne gets programmes from BBC South and ITV Meridian. Local radio stations include BBC Radio Solent, Heart South, Nation Radio South Coast, Greatest Hits Radio South, and Radio Wimborne. Local newspapers like the Dorset Echo and Bournemouth Daily Echo also serve the town.
Sports Clubs
Wimborne has several sports clubs:
- The local football team, Wimborne Town F.C., plays in the Southern Football League.
- The Wimborne R.F.C. rugby club has been around since 1950.
- Cricket has been played in Wimborne since at least 1793. The club moved to a new ground called The Leaze in 2010. The club's main team has won the Dorset Premier League title many times.
Economy and Jobs
The aerospace company Cobham plc has its main office in Wimborne. The home decoration company Farrow & Ball also started here. The town's economy focuses on leisure, with many shops, restaurants, and pubs. Tourism is also important for the town. You can find supermarkets like Waitrose and Co-op here too.
Getting Around
Wimborne used to have a train station from 1847 to 1977. It was part of lines connecting to Southampton, Dorchester, Bath, and Poole. The station closed to passengers in 1964.
Now, Buses are the main way to get to and from Wimborne by public transport. Morebus operates routes to Poole and Bournemouth.
Twin Towns
Wimborne Minster is twinned with two towns in other countries:
- Ochsenfurt in Germany
- Valognes in France
Famous People
Many notable people have connections to Wimborne:
- Tim Berners-Lee, who invented the World Wide Web.
- William Cox, an Australian pioneer born in Wimborne.
- Robert Fripp, a guitarist from the band King Crimson.
- Thomas Hardy, a famous writer, lived in Wimborne for a time.
- Eddie Howe, a football coach, went to Queen Elizabeth’s School.
- Saint Leoba, a saint who lived at Wimborne Minster church.
- Matthew Prior, an English diplomat and poet, was born here.
- Al Stewart, a Scottish musician, grew up in the town.
- William Charles Wentworth, an Australian statesman, died in Wimborne.
See also
In Spanish: Wimborne Minster para niños
