Wimborne Minster

Wimborne Minster stands at the confluence of the River Stour and the River Allen, about 5 miles north of Poole. The built-up area had 16,630 residents at the 2021 census.

The Minster was founded around 705 when Saint Cuthburga set up a Benedictine abbey of nuns on the site. The surviving building is mostly Norman, with Gothic parts added later. Since 1686 it has housed a chained library, and the oldest item is a manuscript from 1343. The library is open on weekdays from April to the end of October, and the Minster itself is open Monday to Saturday as well as for Sunday services. Admission is free and donations are welcome. The astronomical clock in the West Tower probably dates from the late 1300s and appears in accounts from 1409.

For a family day, Wimborne Model Town shows more than 100 miniature shopfronts representing the town as it was over 70 years ago. It opens seasonally, so check its website before you set out.

Wimborne is also on the Stour Valley Way, a 64-mile footpath that runs from Stourton in Wiltshire to Hengistbury Head near Christchurch, passing through the towns of Wimborne and Gillingham on the way. Poole and its harbour are a short drive south.