Winterborne Zelston

inc. Huish

St Mary, Winterborne Zelston
  © Copyright Chris Downer and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

Winterborne Zelston is a village and civil parish of about 850 acres in north Dorset. It is situated in a winterbourne valley eight miles south of Blandford Forum and 10 miles northwest of Poole. The parish had a population of 141 in 2001. A Primitive Methodist Chapel was built in 1836, purchased in 1854 it is now the Village Hall.

The early name was Winterborne Maureward. derived from associations with the Maureward family. From about 1350 the name Winterborne Seleston appears. and variants occur until Zelston became the accepted spelling. The first part of the name, Winterborne, comes from the River Winterborne, which flows from west to east through the village. Zelston(e) is probably from the name of the de Seles family. To the west is Winterborne Tomson and to the north-east is Almer.

The parish church is dedicated to St Mary and is a Grade II listed building, being inscribed in the register on 14 July 1955. The tower dates to the fifteenth century but the rest of the building was rebuilt by the architect Thomas Henry Wyatt in 1866, using some materials from an earlier building. Although the main fabric dates from this rebuild, the building has several older features such as a fourteenth century doorway in the south vestry wall, and some of the windows in the chancel, which are thirteenth century. The tower is of rubble stone while the rest of the church is banded with flint and stone and the roofs are slated. The plan consists of nave, chancel, north aisle, south vestry, south porch and west tower. The tower has three stages, the parapet being battlemented and there being a gargoyle on the west wall. Internally, the nave has an arch-braced collar beam roof while the chancel has a wagon roof with plaster panels and moulded ribs.

Huish in the East of the Parish is a hamlet. It comprises primarily a small Manor House circa 1798. The name Huish comes from the Old English hiwisc, maeaning a household, derived from the Domesday hide, the land sufficient to support a family.

Bridge Cottage, Winterborne Zelston
  © Copyright Chris Downer and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

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