The best family-friendly hikes and walks around Wimborne St. Giles

St. Giles Church is known for its numerous monuments, particularly those dedicated to the Earls of Shaftesbury. Sir Anthony Ashley's Tomb: A historic highlight is the spectacular gilded tomb of Sir Anthony Ashley, dating to 1628. The tomb features intricate classical columns and symbolism. A curious detail is a sphere at his feet, which has been the subject of various theories, including that it represents a globe, a jewel, or even a cabbage. Ashley-Cooper Family Memorials: The church houses several other memorials to the Ashley-Cooper family, including tombs for the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 7th, and 9th Earls. The 1st Earl's memorial includes a bust by Rysbrack, and the 3rd Earl's is a grand wall monument by Scheemakers. Crusader Effigy: There is a much-restored 14th-century effigy of a crusading knight, believed to be Sir John de Plecy. Comper's Work: The interior is almost entirely a result of Sir Ninian Comper's restoration. This includes the highly decorated screen separating the nave and chancel, new stained glass windows, and the gilded tester over the altar.

19th-Century Gothic Revival: In the 19th century, the church was remodeled twice. The most significant work was in 1887, a Gothic Revival-style memorial to the 8th Earl of Shaftesbury. The 1908 Fire and Comper's Restoration: A catastrophic fire in 1908 destroyed most of the church's interior, leaving only the walls standing. The 9th Earl of Shaftesbury commissioned the renowned Gothic Revival architect Sir Ninian Comper to restore and rebuild the church. Comper's work, completed between 1908 and 1910, is considered one of his masterpieces. He kept the 18th-century external walls but completely redesigned the interior, adding a new north aisle and a lady chapel. His intricate work, including stained glass, a wooden screen, and numerous sculptures, makes the church a "treasure-house of Comper work," as described by Sir John Betjeman.

St. Giles Church is the parish church for the village of Wimborne St Giles in Dorset. It has a rich and complex history, marked by several rebuilds, a major fire, and the patronage of the Ashley-Cooper family, the Earls of Shaftesbury. The church's origins date back to at least the 13th century, with the first recorded rector in 1207. The current building is a fascinating mix of architectural styles due to its turbulent history. 18th-Century Georgian: The church was almost entirely rebuilt in 1732 by the Dorset architects John and William Bastard, who were also responsible for much of the reconstruction of the town of Blandford Forum after a fire. The exterior of the church, with its greensand and flint walls, still largely reflects this Early Georgian design.

For the small size of the village and church, it has numerous monuments, mostly dedicated to the various Earls of Shaftesbury. These monuments are a small fraction of what the church previously contained, many were destroyed by the fire of 1908 and the rest were severely damaged. The surviving monuments, much restored by Comper, include a reconstructed 14th century effigy of a knight, the memorials to the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Earls of Shaftesbury, the Shaftesbury family pew, and the Ashley Monument. The Ashley Monument is a large and ornate memorial to Sir Anthony Ashley, grandfather to the 1st Earl, who provided much of the money to have the church rebuilt in the 17th century. The monument, much damaged in the fire, was extensively restored by Comper and as such has been described as "a riot of colour, unmatched in Dorset".[10] The memorial, which includes effigies of Anthony and his wife, also features a hexagonal orb. This orb has alluded many researchers as to its purpose, with various theories proposed, including that it represents a cabbage. Anthony was believed by diarist John Evely to have introduced the now-common vegetable to England. There is also a Georgian font, located underneath the western gallery. The font, which survives almost unaltered, was built by the Bastard brothers in 1732. It is a strapwork marble font, topped by an ornate gilded cover in the shape of a steeple, again by Comper.

The chief feature of the interior is the carved oak screen separating the chancel from the nave. It was designed by Comper and features figures of the Crucifixion and apostles; it is ten bays in length and stretches the entire width of the interior. In the chancel, a finely decorated alabaster reredos depicting figures of various saints sits underneath a highly decorative gilded tester, similar to the one in Durham Cathedral, also designed by Comper. The north aisle, wholly Comper's work, contains four large windows containing reused glass from Oriel College, Oxford. The roof to the north aisle is of a simpler brace-beamed design. Comper also added a long western gallery during his restoration, giving access to the organ and bell ringing chamber. The majority of St Giles' Georgian glass was destroyed by the 1908 fire, only fragments remained. The westernmost window in the upper part of the north aisle was originally Bodley's work and was reformed by Comper from two separate windows. The oldest window in the church is in the south aisle, featuring 18th century Flemish glass depicting Saint Andrew, donated to the church in 1785. It partially survived the fire of 1908 and was reset in the original window with additional clear glass.

The 9th Earl of Shaftesbury engaged Sir Ninian Comper, a pupil of Bodley, to restore and rebuild the church. Comper rebuilt the church from 1908 to 1910, utilising the surviving 18th century walls and thus keeping its external appearance similar to before the fire. Inside, however, he extended the church northwards with a new north aisle and added a lady chapel. He designed all new stained glass windows, incorporating fragments of the glass that survived the fire and added a new intricate wooden screen to separate the nave and chancel. He also replaced and redesigned the roof, designed numerous new sculptures and added a western gallery to the nave. Comper's work, considered to be one of his best, is designed in the richest Gothic Revival style. Curiously, the incident of the robin in 1887 repeated itself in 1908. The 1887 nest somehow survived the fire, possibly thanks to being enclosed in a glass bottle, and both nests were grouted into the wall of the new arcade. An inscription near the altar makes reference to these events.

The Church of St Giles is the Church of England parish church for the village of Wimborne St Giles, Dorset. Originally founded in the 13th century and rebuilt several times over the ensuing centuries, the present church is a mixture of Georgian and Gothic Revival architecture. It is located at the start of the main driveway to St Giles House, the seat of the Earl of Shaftesbury, at the end of a row of Stuart-era almshouses. The first rector of Wimborne St Giles, John de Fissa, was recorded in 1207 and a church is recorded on the site in 1291. This medieval parish church was rebuilt in the 1620s under patronage from Sir Anthony Ashley, 1st Baronet of Wimborne St Giles. Ashley died in 1628 and was buried in a spectacular tomb in the church, which still survives to this day. On 30 September, 1908, during soldering work on the lead roof, the church caught fire. The fire spread quickly and by the time it was extinguished, only the walls remained standing; the church a smoking ruin. The majority of the 1732, 1852 and 1887 fittings were destroyed, including most of the stained glass, the organ, church bells and woodwork. Only a few fittings were able to be rescued and the monuments that did survive, such as the font, were severely damaged.

A beautiful village and church