Winterbourne Abbas

Winterborne Abbas is a village and civil parish in south west Dorset, England, situated in a valley on the A35 road 5 miles (8.0 km) west of Dorchester. In the 2011 census the parish had a population of 355.[1]

Not to be confused with Winterbourne, Gloucestershire.

Winterbourne Abbas

The A35 at Winterbourne Abbas
Winterbourne Abbas
Location within Dorset
Population355 [1]
OS grid referenceSY618904
Unitary authority
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townDORCHESTER
Postcode districtDT2
PoliceDorset
FireDorset and Wiltshire
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
  • West Dorset

The village

Winterbourne Abbas is a pleasant rural village, only spoilt by the heavy traffic which passes through on the A35. The Coach and Horses Inn dates from 1814 or earlier and was a coaching inn on the turnpike road from Dorchester to Bridport. The Baptist Chapel dates from 1872 and has been converted to residential use. Other notable buildings include the Old Post Office in the middle of a terrace of cottages and the Grange.[2]

The Nine Stones stone circle lies just to the west of the village just to the south of the A35 road and surrounded by trees. It is probably the best example of a stone circle in Dorset. Also near the village are the remains of various ancient barrows and burial chambers.[2]

The church

The parish church is dedicated to St Mary and is a Grade I listed building, being inscribed in the register on 26 January 1956. The church is built from coursed rubble stone and flint, dressed with local stone from Ham Hill, Somerset and the Ridgeway. The roof is slate and the tower, at the west end, has three stages and is supported by buttresses. The oldest parts of the church are the thirteenth century nave and the chancel, the chancel having been rebuilt in the fourteenth century. In the fifteenth century, the nave was widened to the north and the tower and rood stair installed. In the sixteenth century the entrance to the former south chapel was blocked, and in the seventeenth century, the porch was added. The eighteenth century saw an alteration to the chancel and the addition of buttresses to the nave.[3] There is the Royal coat of arms of Charles II dated 1661 on the chancel arch, and the Jacobean gallery is carved with the date 1701. South of the Sanctuary there is a piscina from about 1320 with a pyramidal hood and canopy supported by two figures.[2]

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References
  1. "Neighbourhood Statistics. Area: Winterbourne Abbas (Parish). Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  2. "Winterbourne Abbas". Weymouth-Dorset.co.uk. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  3. "Church of St Mary, Winterbourne Abbas". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
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