| Walford |
| The tiny hamlet of Walford lies on the
outskirts of Wimborne at a crossing point on the Stour, and the name
comes from the Saxon wealt meaning wobbly or unsure, which seems
to point to the fact that the crossing here may have been a dangerous
ford. In the Domesday Book it is recorded as being Waiteford and
today there is a mediaeval packhorse bridge with seven arches and
remodelled in 1802 that take the traffic on to Cranborne. There was a mill here in the 16th century but the existing building is believed to have been built c1760 and it is thought that two waterwheels were here. The mill had a chequered history more so when it ceased operating as a working mill in 1966, From then it was used as a coal yard, a furniture showroom and a builders yard! Today though it is famous for design and
craft as in 1986 the Dorset Craft Guild which was formed in 1978 took on
the lease of the mill.
|
