The Church of St Giles is the Church of England parish church for the village of Wimborne St Giles, Dorset. Originally founded in the 13th century and rebuilt several times over the ensuing centuries, the present church is a mixture of Georgian and Gothic Revival architecture. It is located at the start of the main driveway to St Giles House, the seat of the Earl of Shaftesbury, at the end of a row of Stuart-era almshouses.

The first rector of Wimborne St Giles, John de Fissa, was recorded in 1207 and a church is recorded on the site in 1291. This medieval parish church was rebuilt in the 1620s under patronage from Sir Anthony Ashley, 1st Baronet of Wimborne St Giles. Ashley died in 1628 and was buried in a spectacular tomb in the church, which still survives to this day.

On 30 September, 1908, during soldering work on the lead roof, the church caught fire. The fire spread quickly and by the time it was extinguished, only the walls remained standing; the church a smoking ruin. The majority of the 1732, 1852 and 1887 fittings were destroyed, including most of the stained glass, the organ, church bells and woodwork. Only a few fittings were able to be rescued and the monuments that did survive, such as the font, were severely damaged.

Mike Cree

June 28, 2024

The 9th Earl of Shaftesbury engaged Sir Ninian Comper, a pupil of Bodley, to restore and rebuild the church. Comper rebuilt the church from 1908 to 1910, utilising the surviving 18th century walls and thus keeping its external appearance similar to before the fire. Inside, however, he extended the church northwards with a new north aisle and added a lady chapel. He designed all new stained glass windows, incorporating fragments of the glass that survived the fire and added a new intricate wooden screen to separate the nave and chancel. He also replaced and redesigned the roof, designed numerous new sculptures and added a western gallery to the nave. Comper's work, considered to be one of his best, is designed in the richest Gothic Revival style.

Curiously, the incident of the robin in 1887 repeated itself in 1908. The 1887 nest somehow survived the fire, possibly thanks to being enclosed in a glass bottle, and both nests were grouted into the wall of the new arcade. An inscription near the altar makes reference to these events.

Mike Cree

June 28, 2024

The chief feature of the interior is the carved oak screen separating the chancel from the nave. It was designed by Comper and features figures of the Crucifixion and apostles; it is ten bays in length and stretches the entire width of the interior. In the chancel, a finely decorated alabaster reredos depicting figures of various saints sits underneath a highly decorative gilded tester, similar to the one in Durham Cathedral, also designed by Comper. The north aisle, wholly Comper's work, contains four large windows containing reused glass from Oriel College, Oxford. The roof to the north aisle is of a simpler brace-beamed design. Comper also added a long western gallery during his restoration, giving access to the organ and bell ringing chamber.

The majority of St Giles' Georgian glass was destroyed by the 1908 fire, only fragments remained. The westernmost window in the upper part of the north aisle was originally Bodley's work and was reformed by Comper from two separate windows. The oldest window in the church is in the south aisle, featuring 18th century Flemish glass depicting Saint Andrew, donated to the church in 1785. It partially survived the fire of 1908 and was reset in the original window with additional clear glass.

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Location: Wimborne St. Giles, East Dorset, Dorset, South West England, England, United Kingdom

St Giles' Church, Wimborne St Giles

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