We are now trading in the monthly farmers market in the square at
Wimborne Minster, a town that takes its name for the church at its heart called
the Minster Church of St. Cuthburga. As we are learning about our new location
we thought we would share some of our research with you.
Wimborne Minster is a town well worth a visit. For hundreds of years the Minster has been a centre for pilgrimage,
prayer and worship. It contains some wonderful treasures and artifacts within
an ancient building. It is located in the middle of the town centre with its two
towers visible as you enter the Wimborne. The present building dates from
c.1120 with many additions spanning the centuries
The foundation goes back to c.705AD when Cuthburga, sister to Ina, King
of the West Saxons, founded a nunnery on the site.500 nuns are reputed to have
lived at Wimborne, many of whom followed St. Boniface to the then pagan
Germany, as missionaries. The Nunnery was destroyed by the Danes in 1013 but an
old Saxon Chest still remains in the Minster today.
Education has always been a priority. Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry
V11 founded a school at Wimborne Minster in 1497 and her parents tomb is in the
church.
A Chained Library was established in
1695 although the first books were donated in 1686. The Chained Library, one of
only four in the country, is open to the public from Easter to the end of
October most weekdays.
I~LOVE~WIMBORNE...More than the town
ReplyDeletel live in..Blandford..!
Wimborne is a lovely town to visit, and
shop in...and for a small town, it has
a variety of shops to choose from, and
is more active than most towns in the
county...I love the place..! :).
Oh! I did see a couple of Nuns earlier
in the year there..must be the last ones
to follow St Boniface..! :o).
Seriously though, some of history of some
of the towns is amazing...!