Yetminster

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Yetminster is a village in north west Dorset, England, five miles south west of Sherborne. The village has a population of 1,095 (2001). It is served by a railway station on the Heart of Wessex Line.

The village, situated on the River Wriggle is built almost entirely of honey coloured limestone, has a timeless and serene atmosphere. This comes partly from the age of its houses -- many of which date back to the 17th century -- but also from its lack of major through traffic.

The station is just a few steps from the village centre. Turn right from the Railway Inn towards the village centre. The well stocked Oak House Store is at the hub of village life. Nearby is St Andrews Church whose 300 year old faceless clock chimes the national anthem six times a day. On the way to the church is the Yetminster Health Centre, with a doctor's surgery serving Yetminster and the surrounding villages. In the middle of the High Street, just across the road from the village vet, is the historic White Hart Inn, serving local ales and good food. At the far end of the High Street is the village Post Office which doubles as a tourist information point, as well as the village hairdressers and a tea shop/crafts centre.

Yetminster Fair has a claim to be one of the oldest street fairs in Dorset, having been started in the 13th century under a charter granted to the Bishop of Salisbury for a fair 'to be held in his manor of Yetminster'. There was a gap after the 1947 fair until it was re-started in 1975, and now it is firmly established on the second Saturday in July - often culminating in a performance by The Yetties, a folk group who originate from the village. The fair is not only one of the oldest but one of the biggest fairs in the Wessex area.

(See also Yetminster (hundred))