Winton, Dorset
Encyclopedia
Winton is a suburb of Bournemouth
in Dorset
, England. It lies approximately 1 miles (1.6 km) north of Bournemouth town centre, along Wimborne Road (the A347).
At the beginning of the 19th century the area was just rough heathland
, with just a track linking ancient Moordown Village to Horseshoe Common. In 1805 this all changed when a new main road through Winton was put in and named Muscliff Road (today it is known as Wimborne Road).
Around 1850 wealthy Scottish philanthropists Georgina and Marianne Talbot saw the plight of local workers and set about trying to improve their lives by purchasing land along the road and building four artisan cottages and sinking wells to provide fresh water.
By 1891 the population of Winton had reached 4,000 and by 1894 the needs of Winton were so great that they were put under the care of the Winton Parish Council and later in 1897 Winton Urban District Council was formed. In 1901 Bournemouth (which was by then a county borough) increased its boundaries to include Winton and other districts.
The idea of creating a public recreation facility for Winton was first envisaged in 1902. The Earl of Malmesbury gave nearly six hectares of suitable land to Bournemouth Borough Council in 1904. The official opening of Winton Recreation Ground took place in September 1906.
The facilities available at the ground include Richmond Park Bowls Club, tennis courts, cycle track, children's playground, playgroups play building and a cricket pitch.
The cricket pavilion is over 90 years old and it was extended in 1962 and refurbished in 1999.
read the literature on which she based her literary career culminating in her autobiographical trilogy Lark Rise to Candleford
.
The library has undergone a number of refurbishments during its lifetime, the most recent in 2006 when a computer suite was added.
Winton is also a popular area for students of Bournemouth University
and The Arts University College at Bournemouth to live in, given its local amenities, bus connections to the town centre and proximity to Talbot Campus, the university's main site and the AUCB campus.
Talbot Village School erected with room for 68 pupils.
Winton gets its own police station. It is established in a building built ten years earlier known as Hamilton towers.
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, England. It lies approximately 1 miles (1.6 km) north of Bournemouth town centre, along Wimborne Road (the A347).
History
The name Winton derives from Wintoun Castle in Scotland, which was home to the Earl of Wintoun, a relative of the Talbot family (who were local land owners).At the beginning of the 19th century the area was just rough heathland
Heath (habitat)
A heath or heathland is a dwarf-shrub habitat found on mainly low quality acidic soils, characterised by open, low growing woody vegetation, often dominated by plants of the Ericaceae. There are some clear differences between heath and moorland...
, with just a track linking ancient Moordown Village to Horseshoe Common. In 1805 this all changed when a new main road through Winton was put in and named Muscliff Road (today it is known as Wimborne Road).
Around 1850 wealthy Scottish philanthropists Georgina and Marianne Talbot saw the plight of local workers and set about trying to improve their lives by purchasing land along the road and building four artisan cottages and sinking wells to provide fresh water.
By 1891 the population of Winton had reached 4,000 and by 1894 the needs of Winton were so great that they were put under the care of the Winton Parish Council and later in 1897 Winton Urban District Council was formed. In 1901 Bournemouth (which was by then a county borough) increased its boundaries to include Winton and other districts.
Winton Recreation Ground
Winton Recreation Ground is the only significant green space in an area of approximately one square mile, serving a population of some 4750 people.The idea of creating a public recreation facility for Winton was first envisaged in 1902. The Earl of Malmesbury gave nearly six hectares of suitable land to Bournemouth Borough Council in 1904. The official opening of Winton Recreation Ground took place in September 1906.
The facilities available at the ground include Richmond Park Bowls Club, tennis courts, cycle track, children's playground, playgroups play building and a cricket pitch.
The cricket pavilion is over 90 years old and it was extended in 1962 and refurbished in 1999.
Winton Banks
This busy road junction in Winton is called Winton Banks thanks to the many banks that surrounded this junction.Continental Cinema
The picture (right) is close to where the Continental Cinema once stood. Opened in 1911 it started life as the Winton Hall and was renamed Winton Electric Picture House the following year.In 1930 it was modernized and renamed Plaza, becoming the first cinema in Bournemouth to show talking pictures. After the war years it was again refurbished and renamed the Continental. In 1978 it changed hands but the cinema took a downturn in the 1980s due to lack of maintenance and it ended its life in 1989 when it was demolished.Winton Library
Winton library was opened in 1907 and became Bournemouth's first permanent purpose-built library. It was built on land provided by landowner Lord Leven with financial support from Scottish-American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. It was one of the first public libraries in the country to allow open access to the shelves; and it was here that Flora ThompsonFlora Thompson
Flora Jane Thompson was an English novelist and poet famous for her semi-autobiographical trilogy about the English countryside, Lark Rise to Candleford.-Early life and family:...
read the literature on which she based her literary career culminating in her autobiographical trilogy Lark Rise to Candleford
Lark Rise to Candleford
Lark Rise to Candleford is a trilogy of semi-autobiographical novels about the countryside of north-east Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, England, at the end of the 19th century. They were written by Flora Thompson and first published together in 1945...
.
The library has undergone a number of refurbishments during its lifetime, the most recent in 2006 when a computer suite was added.
Present day
Today Winton is still popular for shopping, including a regular farmers' market which takes place in Cardigan Road. The area has several striking buildings, such as Saint Luke’s Church, the old Fire Station on Peter’s Hill, what was the art-deco Moderne Cinema building, now known as the Lifecentre, having under gone a complete refurbishment maintaining the art-deco theme. The Edwardian library in Wimborne Road.Winton is also a popular area for students of Bournemouth University
Bournemouth University
Bournemouth University is a university in and around the large south coast town of Bournemouth, UK...
and The Arts University College at Bournemouth to live in, given its local amenities, bus connections to the town centre and proximity to Talbot Campus, the university's main site and the AUCB campus.
Timeline
- Circa 1850 Philanthropists Georgina & Marianne Talbot purchase land on the main Wimborne Road.
- 1862 Seven almhouses designed by Cristopher Crabbe Creeke are built for the old and infirm. They are constructed of Portland stone.
Talbot Village School erected with room for 68 pupils.
- 1870 St.Marks Church completed at a cost of £5000. The building consists of Portland and Purbeck stone.
- 1894 Winton becomes a civil parishCivil parishIn England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
.
- 1897 Winton Urban District Council is formed.
- 1901 Bournemouth extends its boundaries to include Winton.
Winton gets its own police station. It is established in a building built ten years earlier known as Hamilton towers.
- 1902 Horsedrawn carriages are replaced by trams.
- 1903 The first fire station is established. It is staffed by volunteers and the fire engine is a horse drawn pump.
- 1906 Winton Recreation Ground is officially opened.
- 1907 Winton library opens.
External links
- Winton Forum - Community group and website providing news, history and comprehensive information about Winton, Bournemouth