| Winterborne Whitechurch | |
|---|---|
 Blandford Hill, Winterborne Whitechurch | |
  Winterborne Whitechurch Location withinDorset | |
| Population | 734 |
| OS grid reference | ST837002 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Blandford Forum |
| Postcode district | DT11 |
| Police | Dorset |
| Fire | Dorset and Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
| 50°48′03″N2°13′56″W / 50.8007°N 2.2321°W /50.8007; -2.2321 | |
Winterborne Whitechurch is a village andcivil parish in centralDorset,England, situated in awinterbournevalley on theA354 road on theDorset Downs five miles (eight kilometres) southwest ofBlandford Forum. As calculated in the2021 census, Winterborne Whitechurch currently has a population of 734.[1] To contrast, in the2011 census the civil parish had 354 dwellings,[2] 331 households and a population of 757.[3]
Evidence of prehistoric human activity in the parish consists of 7barrows and a linear dyke known asCombs Ditch. The dyke was probably a boundary in theIron Age but was subsequently modified until it had a more defensive purpose by the end of theRoman occupation. One of the barrows near the dyke was excavated in 1864; one cremation and fourinhumations were found, as well as crude arrowheads within a bucket urn. There used to be at least five other barrows but these have been destroyed by more recent human activity.[4]
In 1086 in theDomesday Book Winterborne Whitechurch was recorded asWintreborne;[5] it had 3 households, 1.5ploughlands and 6 acres (2.4 hectares) of meadow. It was in thehundred of Combsditch, and the lord andtenant-in-chief wasMilton Abbey.[6]
Medieval settlement remains, formerly part of Whitechurch, lie on either side of the River Winterborne, south of the present village. The remains indicate a change in the village morphology, from original settlement along the north–south river to later settlement along the Dorchester-Blandford Road. The change probably took place over a long period of time but it is likely to have been accelerated in 1752 when the road became a turnpike; even now the process is not complete since West Farm and cottages at Lower Street still represent the former layout.
The remains consist of twenty-seven long closes, ten on the west side of the river and seventeen on the east. They measure from 64 to 174 m (210 to 571 ft) in length and from 27 to 41 m (89 to 135 ft) in width and are bounded by low banks up to 4.5 m (14 ft 9 in) wide, and up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) high. At the uphill ends are quarries and some poorly defined rectangular platforms measuring about 10 by 14 m (33 by 46 ft). At the lower ends are uneven depressions and at least four fairly well-preserved building platforms, each measuring some 9 by 15 m (30 by 49 ft).
The parish church, dedicated to St Mary, has achancel dating to around 1200, a 14th-centurycrossing and 15th-century south chapel and central tower. Thenave was rebuilt in 1844 byBenjamin Ferrey, who also added a south porch and north and southaisles. Until 1933 the church and the western part of the village formed part of neighbouringMilton Abbas parish, resulting in Winterborne Whitechurch church standing outside its own parish.[4]
The non-conformist preacherJohn Westley, grandfather ofJohn andCharles Wesley, was appointed Vicar of Winterborne Whitechurch by Oliver Cromwell'sCommission of Triers in 1658. He was imprisoned for not using theBook of Common Prayer and ejected in 1662, delivering his farewell sermon to a weeping audience on 17 August that year.
Winterborne Whitechurch parish covers 3,436 acres (1,390 ha) in the valley of the Winterborne brook. The underlying geology ischalk.[4] Measured directly, Winterborne Whitechurch village is about 5 mi (8 km) southwest of Blandford Forum, 12 mi (19 km) northwest ofPoole and 11 mi (18 km) northeast ofDorchester.[7] The northern part of Winterborne Whitechurch parish is within theDorset National Landscape area.[8]
The village has a federated primary school, Dunbury CofE Academy, for Key Stage Two pupils; Reception and Key Stage One pupils go to a second Dunbury site in neighbouringWinterborne Kingston.[9] The village has avillage hall, run by the village hall committee and available for hire.[10] There is a farm shop and tea room to the east of the village. The village has in the past had a post office and a pub (The Milton Arms).
