Winterbourne Steepleton is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below district ...

in south west

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, situated in a winterbourne

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...

west of Dorchester, next to the village of

Winterbourne Abbas Winterborne Abbas is a village and civil parish in south west Dorset, England, situated in a valley on the A35 road west of Dorchester. In the 2011 census the parish had a population of 355. The village Winterbourne Abbas is a pleasant rura ...

. The name of the village derives from its site next to a seasonal winterbourne stream and from having a stone church

steeple In architecture, a steeple is a tall tower on a building, topped by a spire and often incorporating a belfry and other components. Steeples are very common on Christian churches and cathedrals and the use of the term generally connotes a relig ...

''Dorset'', Frank R. Heath, Methuen & Co. Ltd., London, Sixth Ed. (revised), 1922. - one of only three

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

stone spires in the county (the others being at

Iwerne Minster Iwerne Minster ( ) is a village and civil parish in Dorset, England. It lies on the edge of the Blackmore Vale, approximately midway between the towns of Shaftesbury and Blandford Forum. The A350 main road between those towns passes through the ...

and Trent). In the 2011 census the parish had a population of 297.

The village

Winterbourne Steepleton is a rural village set back from the main road. Notable buildings include Steepleton Manor, a large house built of

Portland stone Portland stone is a limestone from the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The quarries are cut in beds of white-grey limestone separated by chert beds. It has been used extensively as a buildi ...

dating from 1870 and replacing a previous building. Close by is the thatched Manor Cottage, built in the 16th century, and Manor Farm, dating from the 17th century or earlier. Close to the east end of the parish church is the 17th century Mill House, built of stone and brick.

The church

The parish church, dedicated to

St Michael Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...

, dates mostly from the 12th and 13th centuries, although the nave has

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country ( Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the No ...

elements and the tower and porch are 14th-century addition. It is a Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

, having been inscribed in the register on 26 January 1956. The west tower, nave, chancel and south porch are built of rubble-stone with dressings of stone from Ham Hill, Somerset. The roofs are slated. The tower has three stages with buttresses to the lower two, and is topped by a plain parapet. The spire was added in the 18th century and is octagonal with pinnacles at the corners. Several of the windows date from the 15th century and have pairs of cinque-foiled lights with vertical tracery between.

References

External links

Winterbourne Steepleton OPC (Online Parish Clerk)
{{authority control Villages in Dorset