Wimborne Minster
A millennium-old minster in the market town of Wimborne, with a distinctive twin-towered exterior and one of England's earliest chained libraries.
Wimborne Minster stands in the market town of Wimborne, about 12 km northwest of Bournemouth. It originated as an 8th-century monastery, and the surviving building dates from the Norman to Gothic periods. Its mottled grey-green and brown stonework and twin towers make the exterior very distinctive. Inside are a 14th-century astronomical clock and a monument to Ethelred I, King of Wessex and brother of Alfred the Great. The Chained Library, opened in 1686, has books chained to their shelves and is one of the earliest libraries in England to be open to the public (opening hours are limited). The old streets of the town have cafés and antique shops, and it can easily be visited together with Kingston Lacy.
Opening hours
Approx. 09:30–17:00 (chained library has limited opening times)
Nearby sights
- Kingston Lacy
- Poole Quay
- Compton Acres
- Alum Chine
- Sandbanks Beach
- St Peter's Church, Bournemouth
- Bournemouth Lower Gardens
- Oceanarium Bournemouth