Flower festival & Duck race

Wimborne Minster Flower Festival returns

With thanks to Anthony Oliver

For well over 30 years it has become customary for the Minster Church of St. Cuthburga to organise a Flower Festival every five years. In addition to this there were two extras, one in 2002 to mark the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and one in 2012 to mark her Diamond Jubilee. The last main Festival was in 2015 and the Minster was to hold one in 2020, which would also have marked the 900th Anniversary of the start of the Minster building as we know it today. Due to the coronavirus pandemic this was postponed until this year. It will now take place from Friday 2nd to Monday 5th September, with a private viewing on the evening of Thursday 1st September.

The Minster will be open Friday, Saturday and Monday from 10am until 6pm and on Sunday from 2pm to 5pm. There will be the usual Sunday morning services. Sunday also marks the Minster’s Patronal Festival. Entrance to the Flower Festival will be £5 (no concessions; children enter free of charge). The proceeds from the Festival will be for Minster funds, with a donation to the Forest Holme Hospice. Coach parties will be welcome. The title of the Festival is “Trades – Past and Present” and a number of Dorset flower clubs and one from Hampshire have already agreed to take part. The Minster’s own flower arrangers will be putting on displays. There will be a number of Tableaux and smaller arrangements. The Festival is being designed by Sharon Austin of Carnival Flowers with help from Christine Oliver and the Minster Team.

This will be one of several events being held this year in the Minster. These include the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Weekend event celebrating Arts, Crafts, Flowers and Music. Please do support the Festival in this special year. For further information, including details about advance ticket sales, please contact the parish office on 01202 884753.

22nd Annual Duck Race in aid of Wimborne in Bloom

With thanks to Anthony Oliver The 22nd Annual Duck Race to be staged in aid of Wimborne in Bloom will take place on the River Allen on Saturday 27th August at 4pm. Tickets (Ducks) at £1 each will be sold in the Crown Mead precinct and nearby on Saturday 20th, Thursday 25th, Friday 26th and again on Race Day itself, Saturday 27th August.

The winner of the first Duck home will receive £50, second place £25, third place £10 and fourth, fifth and sixth, £5 each. Proceeds will be in aid of Wimborne in Bloom funds.

American Viscountess in Wimborne

With thanks to Julie Montagu, Viscountess Hinchingbrooke

Presenter of the popular TV series An American Aristocrat’s Guide to Great Estates, Julie, who lives at Mapperton House near Beaminster, is no stranger to our town. Here, she recalls her discoveries at Deans Court and Wimborne Minster.

“Once a medieval monastery, Deans Court was transformed in the Georgian period and I was lucky enough to spend time there and film with Sir William and Lady Alison Hanham as well as visiting Wimborne Minster. The Hanham family have lived here for 500 years since the time of the Tudor Kings and Queens. While at Deans Court, I explored the beautifully decorated interiors – from the splendour of the Georgian period to the colourful brushwork of the 1930s. And just a short walk from the house is a 1930s squash court and garage which have been transformed into a shop and café.

“This is an historic home which continues to surprise and inspire and tell the extraordinary and sometimes heartbreaking history of previous generations. I was lucky enough to help harvest organic vegetables in the extraordinary kitchen garden; encounter Orlando and Pringle – the resident goats who help mow the meadows; and hear how buried treasures were unearthed from the Roman period.

“Like so many historic houses across the UK, Deans Court is full of wonderful treasures and I marvelled at a mysterious Elizabethan ring belonging to one of Sir William Hanham’s ancestors. And enjoyed the delights of a Victorian music box.

“Lastly, I explored the breathtaking Wimborne Minster – historically linked to Deans Court since the Saxon period, I was amazed at the interior decoration, the historic chained library and climbing up into the belfry. What a tremendous day out full of stories past and present. You can watch all of my adventures in Wimborne on my YouTube Channel, American Viscountess.”

Search ‘American Viscountess’ on youtube.com, to see more