The first church on the site was founded around 934 AD by the Saxon King Athelstan, grandson of Alfred the Great. It is said he had a vision of defeating the Danes while camping nearby and built the church in gratitude.
* Benedictine Abbey: About thirty years later, King Edgar established a Benedictine monastery there.
* Fire and Rebuilding: A fire caused by lightning destroyed the Norman church in 1309. The current Abbey Church of Saint Mary, Saint Sansom and Saint Branwalader largely dates from the 14th century, with some 15th-century additions like the north transept and tower extension. The nave as originally planned was never built.

Mike The Mooching Minister.

May 3, 2025

* Dissolution: Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539, the Abbey and estate were acquired by Sir John Tregonwell, a lawyer for Henry VIII. The Abbey church was allowed to become the parish church.
* 18th Century Changes: In the late 18th century, Joseph Damer, Lord Milton (later Earl of Dorchester), decided the nearby market town of Milton (or Middleton) disturbed his ideal of rural peace. He had the entire town demolished and created the planned village of Milton Abbas. He also commissioned the landscape gardener Capability Brown to design the parkland around a new mansion he built on the site of the old Abbey buildings, keeping only part of the church.
* Restoration: The church was restored around 1790 by James Wyatt and again in 1865 by Sir George Gilbert Scott.

In the know? Log-in to add a tip for other adventurers!

Details

Informations

Elevation 120 m

Weather

Today

Wednesday 12 November

14°C

13°C

70 %

If you start your activity now...

Max wind speed: 21.0 km/h

Most visited during

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

See hikes here

Take Me There

Location: Milton Abbas, North Dorset, Dorset, South West England, England, United Kingdom

Other Popular Places to Check Out

The Ridgeway on Shillingstone Hill

St James's Church, Milton Abbas

Hod Hill

Hambledon Hill Ramparts

View of Lulworth Cove

The Oak at Dewlish

Bat's Head and Butter Rock

View from Bulbarrow Hill

Shillingstone Hill

View of Cranborne Chase from Dorset National Landscape

The Dorset Gap

St James Church, Milton Abbas

Abbey Church of St Mary, St Samson and St Branwalader

1. Milton Abbas loop from Winterborne Stickland — Dorset

2. Milton Park Wood – Milton Abbas Village loop from Woolland

3. Milton Abbas Village – Milton Park Wood loop from Milton Abbas

Other Popular Places to Check Out

We value your privacy ⛰️

We value your privacy ⛰️