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Wimborne-Minster is a delightful
busy bustling small Dorset market town situated in the
very picturesque water meadows that lie between the River
Stour and the River Allen. Its history dates back
to AD 705, For that is when twin towers of the magnificent
Minster Church of St.Cuthburga, first saw the light of day. The Abbey
and Monastery grew in size and importance. By 871 it had grown to such
importance that King Alfred the Great buried his brother King Ethelred
(not the Unready) in the Minster, that was built by Cuthburga who
founded also an Abbey under the auspices of a Benedictine Nunnery at
the site of the present day Minister
It was in the 12th Century when the Minster from which
Wimbourne was to take it's name was constructed. 1496 Lady
Margaret Beaufort, grand-daughter of John of Gaunt and mother of Henry
VII, founded a small chapel in the Minster. With the reign of Henry
VIII and the Protestant Reformation the remaining parts of the
monastery were adopted into part of the Minster to avoid being
destroyed. However much of the wealth of the Minster was confiscated by
King Henry VIII. The Protestant Reformation which was sweeping Europe
was used in a malevolent and selfish way by, Henry V111 for he
broke with the catholic church due to the conflict with the
pope over his attempt to divorce Catherine of Aragon (since 1527), came
to a climax. The Pope duly excommunicated Henry, who
retaliated by incorporating the Act of Supremacy, thus establishing the
Church of England As stated above The central tower and nave were
founded in Saxon times, but the surviving building is predominantly
Norman in design and construction, with Gothic components from various
periods.
Although the Minster is obviously the main visitor attraction Wimborne
does offer the visitor more,If you need to relax then Deans
Court In the center of Wimborne is the perfect
place, For here you will find an oasis of peace and tranquility,Deans
Court consists of an 13 acres garden surrounds an
old house that once was home to the deanery of the Minster.Dean's
Court's garden is certainly a peaceful haven near the center of this
busy market town.
Then one has Kingston Lacy a beautiful 17th century
house designed by the architect Sir Robert Pratt for Sir Ralph Bankes
Kings was built to replace his ruined family seat at Corfe Castle;
altered in the 19th century, the house contains an outstanding
collection of paintings and an exhibition of Egyptian artifacts from
3,000BC and the beautiful gardens are a sea of colour with an abundance
of various flowers and plants, there is also 250 acres of
woodland nature trails and an area set aside for children to
play, the house and gardens are administered by the National Trust.
Wimbore folk festival this is held annually and next years festival
will be on the 13-15 June, although a recent event it has proved to be
very successful. The one attraction that will delight all the family is
Wimborne model town , here are models of Wimborne as it was in the
1950s
the lifelike models built to scale of 1/10 are truly amazing. With
plenty of tourist accommodation available and restaraunts ranging from
traditional English cuisine to Chinese and Indian and lively
traditional pubs Wimborne has something to suit everyone.!

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