St. Mary Cerne Abbas

Cerne Abbas was once one of the most important towns in Dorset.  It owes its origins to the presence of the great abbey founded there in 987 by Ethelmar, Earl of Devon and Cornwall, but during the C19 the railways went elsewhere with the inevitable result that it withered commercially.Nevertheless, the town is a most appealing place set in its own beautiful fold in the chalk hills and blessed with some exquisite half-timbered buildings, which nowadays attract tourists from all over the world.  All that remains of the great abbey, which was dissolved in 1539, is a gate house with a most impressive oriel window.  Slightly outside the settlement is the famous Cerne Giant cut into the chalk on the side of a hill.      

The Trust gratefully acknowledges images and text by Robin Adeney ©

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