Dorset is known for its alluring beaches and dramatic, 95-mile-long Jurassic coastline with many of its villages providing a quaint, picture-perfect setting for people keen to live a quintessential country lifestyle - and for those who want to experience it on holiday. One of the most stunning villages is Wimborne St Giles - an idyllic place in East Dorset only 16 miles from the seaside town of Poole. Housed within the Shaftesbury Estate, owned by the Earl of Shaftesbury, it was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 and is home to a thriving local community.
Boasting a beautiful church, adjoined by pretty 17th-century Almshouses, it’s known for its flower festival, has a jazz festival in the summer, with charity cream teas held every Sunday from May through to September. The village is also home to the stunning St Giles House, a Grade I-listed Manor House that dates back to the 17th century. Boasting a long, rich history, the Estate covers a staggering 5,500 acres of land, including a seven-acre lake.
After an award-winning restoration, it’s available for room rental (including a 19th-century cottage and pepperpot lodges) and private hire. While from the outside the village sounds charming, however, it seems it’s also hiding a horrifyingly haunted history. Step forward Knowlton Church, which has been repeatedly described as one of: “The most haunted locations in Dorset.
” Constructed in the 12th Century, it was built on Neolithic earthwork and is located in the centre of a pagan circle. While once a village, in the late 15th century most of the population was wiped out by the Black Death with the village subsequently falling into disrepair. And rather spookily, it’s found itself at the centre of several paranormal discussions due to the high number of ghost sightings there.
In fact, according to a guide on dorset coastal cottages , visitors often comment on its melancholy atmosphere, with its website citing: “It is said that the souls of the dead linger here.” “Ghostly faces have been seen at the doors and windows, and reports of a weeping nun apparition kneeling beyond the church walls exist too. Scariest of all is the phantom horse and rider that gallops across the site just before dawn when the night is at its darkest," it says rather spookily.
So while Wimborne St Giles might be worth a visit, a trip to Knowlton Church might only favour the brave..
