English Heritage sites near Cerne Abbas Parish
THE NINE STONES
7 miles from Cerne Abbas Parish
Now in a wooded glade, this small prehistoric circle of nine standing stones was constructed around 4,000 years ago and is surrounded by a mysterious air. Winterbourne Poor Lot Barrows are nearby.
MAIDEN CASTLE
8 miles from Cerne Abbas Parish
Among the largest and most complex of Iron Age hillforts in Europe, Maiden Castle’s huge multiple ramparts enclose an area the size of 50 football pitches and once protected hundreds of residents.
WINTERBOURNE POOR LOT BARROWS
8 miles from Cerne Abbas Parish
A 'cemetery' of 44 Bronze Age burial mounds of varying types and sizes, straddling the A35 main road.
SHERBORNE OLD CASTLE
10 miles from Cerne Abbas Parish
Built on a grand scale in the 12th century by the Bishop of Salisbury, Sherborne was coveted by churchmen and noblemen alike giving it a long, chequered history. Picnic, shop, light refreshments.
KINGSTON RUSSELL STONE CIRCLE
10 miles from Cerne Abbas Parish
A late Neolithic or early Bronze Age circle of 18 fallen stones, on a hilltop overlooking Abbotsbury and the sea.
ABBOTSBURY ABBEY REMAINS
11 miles from Cerne Abbas Parish
Part of a monastic building, perhaps the abbot’s lodging, of Benedictine Abbotsbury Abbey, Henry VIII ordered its destruction during the Dissolution in 1538. St Catherine's Chapel is nearby.
Churches in Cerne Abbas Parish
Cerne Abbas: St Mary
Abbey Street
Cerne Abbas
Dorchester
01300341251
https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/9478
St Mary's is the Parish Church for Cerne Abbas in Dorset. It is a living church, open during daylight hours (or until about 5pm when it's light later) year-round. Come in to learn about the history of the village (boards in the tower room), say a prayer and/or light a candle, join in with one of our many concerts or other musical events, have a coffee and a slice of cake (1st Wednesday of the month), ring the bells (practice 7pm most Thursdays), or attend a service. Special services are highlighted on the church's Facebook page, Cerne Abbas St Mary's Church. We also celebrate seasonal events at the Silver Well and at the Vicarage.
The villagers of Cerne Abbas probably worshipped in the Abbey Church until about 1300, when the monks built this parish church for them. Dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin, the church received its first vicar in 1317. The original chancel was expanded to include a screen, nave and aisles around 1450.
At the Reformation the church interior, which had had murals of bible stories such as those still barely visible near the altar on its walls for the illiterate population, was whitewashed. As a sign of the times, in the 17thC bible verses were painted on the walls instead. It is worth taking time to read them, and consider who (vicar? churchwarden?) ordered each painted to be where it is and why that verse and why there?!
In 1870, an arch was inserted into the screen so the east window could be seen from the nave. A framed photograph on the screen at the back of the church shows what it looked like before this alteration.
Pubs in Cerne Abbas Parish
Cerne Abbas Brewery Tap
Chescombe Barn, Barton Meadows Farm, Cerne Abbas, DT2 7JS
(01300) 341999
cerneabbasbrewery.com/
Giant Inn
24 Long Street, Cerne Abbas, DT2 7JF
(01300) 341441
thegiantcerneabbas.co.uk/
New Inn
14 Long Street, Cerne Abbas, DT2 7JF
(01300) 341274
thenewinncerneabbas.co.uk
Royal Oak Inn
23 Long Street, Cerne Abbas, DT2 7JG
(01300) 341797
theroyaloakcerneabbas.co.uk/