Why You Should Visit Broadwindsor
Broadwindsor is a small village surrounded by the beautiful vista of the west Dorset countryside; and was at one time a village and a parish designated as a liberty (administrative division) whose properties included only the parish itself.
There is evidence of occupation in this area prior to the Romans arriving in AD 43, however the earliest documents are records of freemen dating from the 13th and 14th centuries, even though the village of Broadwindsor is named in the Domesday Book as a manor held by Hunger, son of Odin. That is not to say that Broadwindsor was without its share of renown. This ancient parish became famous for giving shelter to Prince Charles (King Charles II) one night in 1651 when he took flight after the Royalist defeat at the Battle of Worcester. The Prince left the village dressed as a woman to complete his escape from the Parliamentarians. There is a plaque commemorating the Prince's stay in the present day building in the village square, as the original Castle Inn was destroyed by fire in 1856.
The village is also proud of having for a time, the Reverend Thomas Fuller, known as 'Quaint Old Tom Fuller', whose sermons made his congregation roar with laughter; which was a rare phenomenon in the 1600's. One could enjoy his sermons at the ancient village church of St John the Baptist. There has been a church here since Anglo-Saxon times with the present church dating from 1902; however the structural evidence in the present building takes us back as far as the 11th century when it was probably a simple cruciform shape. The church is located in the centre of the village, and essentially the style is Gothic and Norman (the pillars can be dated by their scalloped capitals and are considered Norman), with the tower being added during the 13th to 14th century. By the 19th century the church had undergone many centuries of changes, and the condition of the building was such that a major rebuilding and restoration was set in motion, saving what was viable, including three of the church bells which are pre-Reformation.
The setting in the middle of the village is of lovely cottages with period houses, and the village also offers an extremely interesting complex, Broadwindsor Craft and Design Centre, featuring local crafts. The Lewesdon and Pilsdon hills are landmarks in this community, with Lewesdon deemed to be the highest in the county, but there is some good natured bantering as to whether or not Pilsdon is actually the highest hill. The countryside abounds in conservation and National Trust areas, therefore Broadwindsor is surrounded by beauty, however there is a rumour that the bulls in the local fields are famous for attacking people who stroll through their terrain.
Where is Broadwindsor?Broadwindsor is located in Dorset, England.
