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The Lower Winterborne Parish

In the valley of the River Winterborne

An  overhead view of the Parish and its boundary

Past

The Lower Winterborne civil Parish consists of Winterborne Kingston (including Muston), Anderson (including Winterborne Tomson), and Winterborne Zelston (including Huish). It covers 1,813 hectares or 4,480 acres of mainly chalkland (Dorset Downs) at altitudes between 160-400ft above sea-level. The six settlements are situated mainly along the valley of the River Winterborne. The Parish is located  approximately two miles north- east of Bere Regis and six and a half miles south-south-west of Blandford. It was officially formed by the grouping of the three Parishes in the early 1980s.The A31 road traverses the southern side of the Parish.

Winterborne Kingston, Muston and Winterborne Zelston appear in the Doomsday Book (1086), and the whole area has evidence of Prehistoric and Roman remains.

Winterborne Kingston

Winterborne Kingston, the largest village, stands at the point where the Roman road from Sarum (Salisbury) to Durnovaria (Dorchester) crosses the River Winterborne. Its most notable monument is St Nicholas Church, which is a stone and flint structure in the Early English style, some parts of which are believed to be as old as the 12th century.

Winterborne Zelston

Anderson and Winterborne Tomson

Anderson and Winterborne Tomson both have fine old churches and manor houses.   The manor at Anderson was built in 1622.

and the one at Tomson, very near the church, is of a similar period.

St Andrew’s Church, Tomson, is a single-cell Norman church with an apsidal east end (the only Norman apse in Dorset), unaltered in plan since it was built in the early 12th century. It was a favourite of Thomas Hardy.

The 1851 Census shows that many of the women in the area were button-makers, whilst most of the men were Agricultural Labourers.  Other trades in the area were those of Carpenter, Bricklayer, Blacksmith, and Bootmaker.   The 1901 Census also listed (e.g. in Winterborne Kingston at least) Bird-stuffer, Rabbit-catcher, Police Constable, Licensed Victualler, and others.

Present

At the time of preparing the Parish Plan (2004) the Parish contained about 367 houses (two under construction).   At the time of the 2001 Census, the population was 833 people.  80 years before, the 1921 Census showed  a population of 500.   It is still a small community in a rural setting with only 10 percent of its residents employed within the Parish.

In 2004 the Parish’s population was, and remains today, of mixed age-groups.   About 10.4% were below 11 years of age,  8.1% were 11-17 years, 61.2% were 18-64 years and 20.5% were over 65 years old.  20.7% of the Parish population said they were retired.  30% had come to the Parish within the previous 5 years, with ‘rural environment’ being the most common reason cited by people who have moved into the Parish to live.  

Amenities in the Parish include 2 Village Halls: at Winterborne Kingston and Winterborne Zelston, and 4 churches:  at Winterborne Kingston, Anderson, Tomson and Winterborne Zelston.   Only the first and last are in regular use.

 There are 2 pubs – the Greyhound Inn at Winterborne Kingston

and the Botany Bay Inne at Winterborne Zelston.

In Winterborne Kingston there are also:

The Dunbury CE VC First School (rebuilt in 2008);  

A Recreation Ground,

with a Youth Building, housing Tadpoles Day Nursery and the Youth Club,

A Cricket Pavilion, and a playground;

There is also a farm-supplies and clothing shop (SCATS),  T.T.Motors (a specialist car workshop, with sales forecourt);  and, until September 2008, there was a sub-Post Office.  

Near Winterborne Zelston, on the A31, there is a petrol station and shop, and a Little Chef restaurant.

Farming in the Parish is chiefly characterised by fields of cereals and pastures for sheep, milking cattle, and some pigs.

T.F.Shaxson,  September 2008
(all photos by T.F.Shaxson ©)

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