Listed Building record MDO11564 - The Minster Church of St Cuthburga, High Street, Wimborne Minster

An important collegiate church, of Saxon origin the main fabric now of twelfth century and late medieval date, considerable nineteenth century restoration.

"In the extensive repairs of the Minster, completed in 1857, there was discovered under the pillars of the nave, bases of columns at regular intervals, a considerable length of very early and perfect tesselated Roman pavement, and a large pediment, clearly indicating the site of a Roman Temple, immediately over which the central tower now lifts its head". <2>

The church was founded before AD 705 as a Benedictine Nunnery founded by St. Cuthberga. It was destroyed by the Danes in the early 11th century and refounded by Edward the Confessor as a college of secular canons with a dean. It was dissolved in the reign of Edward VI and some portion of it was restored by charter by Queen Elizabeth. Mentioned in Domesday as a collegiate church. The present church is partly Norman. <1> <3-5>

A piece of tessellated pavement and other Roman remains lie under the floor of the Minster. The abbey Church of the Benedictine Nunnery was doubtless on the site of the present minster. <7>

Apart from St. Cutherberga's Collegiate Church, The Minster, nothing remains of the collegiate or conventual buildings. The site of these buildings is not known. The church is in use for Divine Service. Roman remains from this site are exhibited in the church library. <8>

The existence of a Roman tessellated pavement beneath the nave was confirmed during renovations in 1961. It was not possible to determine the nature of the building. <9>

The Saxon foundation was apparently a double monastery with a cloister of monks entirely separate from the nun's cloister, but both presided over by the abbess. The present church is largely of 12th century date with 13-15th century and later alterations. A considerable amount of the pre-Conquest building survives including rubble masonry and string-courses of Saxon date in the west walls of both transepts. The core of the tower is probably also of this date. <11-13> <15>

Listed as the possible site of a Roman villa. The pavement from the site has recently been reinterpreted as being Anglo-Saxon. In 1961 tesserae were rediscovered underneath the nave, these had been originally uncovered in 1857. <14>

Emden, A B, 1977, Medieval Decorated Tiles in Dorset (Monograph). SDO13180.

<1> Royal Archaeological Institute, 1865, The Archaeological Journal 22, 316 (Serial). SDO17999.

<2> Warne, C, 1872, Ancient Dorset (2nd Edition), 184 (Monograph). SWX1971.

<3> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1906, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club for 1906, xlii (Serial). SDO13029.

<4> Page, W (Ed), 1908, The Victoria History of the County of Dorset 2, 103-112 (Monograph). SWX1805.

<5> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1921, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club for 1920, xxx (Serial). SDO17723.

<6> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1932, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1931, 47 (Serial). SDO35.

<7> 1853, Guide to Wimborne Minster, 1-2 (Monograph). SDO20466.

<8> Wrathall, Reginald, Field investigator's comments RW, F1 RW 09-JUL-54 (Unpublished document). SDO18449.

<9> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1963, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1962, 106-9 (Serial). SDO62.

<10> Ordnance Survey, 1:2500 scale, 1964 (Map). SWX1197.

(SZ 00930993) St Cuthberga's Collegiate Church The Minster (C of E) (NAT)

<11> Knowles, D and Neville Hadcock, R, 1971, Medieval religious houses in England and Wales, 419, 443, 485 (Monograph). SDO11249.

<12> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1975, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume V (East), 78-85 (Monograph). SDO129.

<13> Taylor, H M, 1978, Anglo-Saxon Architecture III, 1077 (Monograph). SDO18798.

<14> Scott, E, 1993, A Gazetteer of Roman villas in Britain, 55 (Bibliographic reference). SWX1795.

<15> Aston, Michael, and Lewis, Carenza (eds), 1994, The medieval landscape of Wessex, 53 (Monograph). SWX1296.

<16> Thurlby, Malcolm, 2001, 'Aspects of Romanesque Ecclesiastical Architecture in Dorset: Wimborne Minster, Sherborne Abbey, Forde Abbey Chapter-House and St Mary's, Maiden Newton'; Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1-6 (Article in serial). SDO15330.

<17> Historic England, Historic England Archive (Index). SDO14738.

Object Number
Object Title
Scope And Content
OP10362 Men in hats and boys leaning on the churchyard wall around the north of the medieval Minster Church of St. Cuthberga. Building of the church began in the 12th century.
OP10366 The astronomical clock dates from around 1320. Attached to the clock is a Quarter Jack who strikes the hour on bells outside the north wall.
OP10413 A view from the north-east showing the medieval Minster Church of St. Cuthberga. Building of the church began in the 12th century.
Mounted with OP10414 and OP10415
OP10414 The chained library at Wimborne Minster was founded in 1686 and is housed in the old Treasury. Some of the manuscripts in the library date from the 14th century. Mounted with OP10413 and OP10415
OP10415 The astronomical clock dates from around 1320. Attached to the clock is a Quarter Jack who strikes the hour on bells outside the north wall. Mounted with OP10413 and OP10414
OP10416 A view east showing the Norman nave and crossing in the medieval Minster Church of St. Cuthberga. Building of the church began in the 12th century.
OP10441 The nave, crossing and tower of the Minster Church of St. Cuthberga date from the 12th century. They retain their Norman features, such as the chevron moulding and rounded arches.
OP10442 The Minster Church of St. Cuthberga dates from the 12th century. This image shows the Norman capitals in the crossing of the central tower.
OP10443 The Minster Church of St. Cuthberga dates from the 12th century. This image shows the Norman capitals in the crossing of the central tower.
OP10450 A view of the nave looking west through the Norman tower crossing. The Minster Church of St. Cuthberga dates from the 12th century.

<18> National Record of the Historic Environment, 457887 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Jul 5 2024 11:20AM