The idyllic village, which was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, is situated in Dorset on Cranborne Chase and is just 16 miles away from the seaside town of Poole
A beautiful historic village in Dorset is quintessentially English but comes with a disturbing past.
Wimborne St Giles, which was recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book, is just 16 miles from the seaside town of Poole on Cranborne Chase. It has a stunning Grade I-listed church in the centre of the village, overlooking a picturesque green and adjoined to a 17th Century Almshouse. The 1732 building was built on top of the old church, which dates back to 1291. It’s open to visitors every day. Each year, the village holds a church fete, including a dog show, cakes and bakes, music and carnival games. There is also a charity Church Flower Festival held annually. All money raised goes to help with the maintenance of the church.
On a Sunday people would gather in the village hall to sit down for a charity tea – including sandwiches, scones, cakes and meringues in addition to the tea and coffee. The local pub, The Bull In, was also central to the village community. Though the pub is closed at the moment for refurbishment, its website says it offers “delicious food, local produce, fine wines and beautifully-appointed rooms”.
St Giles House, a Grade I-listed Manor House, can also be found in the village. Dating back to the 17th Century, it was the ancestral home of the Earl of Shaftesbury’s Ashley-Cooper family. It covers a huge 5,500 acres, including a seven-acre lake. Visitors have the opportunity to stay on the sprawling St Giles estate in a Bell tent on the grounds. But if camping’s not your thing, there are other accommodation available in the village, including cottages, lodges, or even an eight-bedroom house.
But though all seems perfect in Wimborne St Giles, just down the road sits Knowlton Church – which is often described as “one of the most-haunted locations in Dorset”. The Norman Church, which was built in the 12th Century, is surrounded by Neolithic earthwork and lies in the middle of a pagan circle. In the late 15th Century, the village of Knowlton was wiped out by the Black Death. Most moved elsewhere, leaving the ruins that still stand as the only trace of them there. However, worshippers continued to use the church up until the 18th Century when the roof caved in. Many claim to have seen ghosts at the site, including a pharntom horse rider, a ghostly visage at the top of the tower, and a weeping woman.
