Dorset Church Album

~ Milton Abbey, Milton ~
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The Abbey church was the parish church both before and after the Dissolution of the Monasteries. In 1752 the Abbey Estate was purchased by Joseph Damer, later to become the Earl of Dorchester. The thriving market town of Milton Abbas was not far from the Abbey. However the Earl wished to surround his home with parklands and gradually dismantled the old town and moved it to a side valley, out of his view. He constructed a new church and in 1786 this was consecrated as the parish church. The parish registers date from 1650. The Abbey church was burnt to the ground in 1309 and was not rebuilt until 1392. There was a restoration in 1865. The present Abbey buildings were built by the Earl of Dorchester in 1771 on the site of the old Abbey House. They are currently used as an independent school.
Photograph & Text courtesy of Lynda Mudle-Small
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