St Giles, Wimborne St Giles
St. Giles must be one of the most outstanding village churches of Dorset. The rather plain early Georgian exterior with a tower of 1732 adjacent to an attractive suite of almshouses offers no hint of the splendour inside.
In 1908, the building suffered a catastrophic fire, resulting from soldering on the roof. The celebrated architect, Sir Ninian Comper (1864-1960) was retained by Lord Shaftesbury to undertake the restoration. The result is a riot of colour and magnificence, unmatched elsewhere in Dorset.
There is a font with magnificent cover and a rood screen and loft, with carved figures of the Apostles and in the roof with a host of angels opening their wings.
There are some excellent stained glass windows, all but two designed by Comper. Sir John Betjemin called them “dazzling but subtle”. On the south side of the high altar is the charming memorial to robins who nested during the building works. You will notice that some of the church kneelers are decorated with robins.
The altar is separated from the nave by a wooden rood screen, on which there are the figures of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and St. John. The Shaftesbury family pew is incorporated into the screen. The reredos has alabaster figures of Christ on the Cross, St. Giles, St. Anthony, St. Benedict, St. Francis, St. Edward King and Martyr, St. Osmund, St. Aldhelm and St. Rumbold.
Above and behind, is a full-width gallery with seating for the choir and ringers and dominated by the superb two-manual organ by Harrison and Harrison.
The most famous of all the Earls of Shaftesbury was undoubtedly the 7th (1801-85), who was responsible for improving the lot of working children through a number of reforming acts passed through Parliament. In addition, he was president of the YMCA, the Ragged School Union (renamed the Shaftesbury Society after his death) and was a founder of the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children. There is a memorial to him in the family pew, but the better-known one is the statue of Eros, which adorns Piccadilly Circus and whose arrow points towards Wimborne St. Giles. When he died "all England " is said to have wept for him. He was offered burial in Westminster Abbey, but had declined and is buried here.
Next to the church the almshouses were built in 1624 by Sir Anthony Ashley later the Earl of Shaftesbury.
To find the cache look at the gravestone of Richard Shepard which is near the gate to the graveyard. He died August AB CDEF aged GH years. The cache can be found at: N50 54.(G-E)(A+G)(B-C) W001 57.(H-C)(D-B-C)(E-H)
If anybody would like to expand this series we would just ask that you contact sadexploration first so he can keep track of the Church numbers and names and to avoid duplication.
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If anybody would like to replace any logs that need urgent servicing in my caches, please do so and mention it in your log. |