Hinton St Mary

Hinton St Mary
237px Parish church of St Peter
Hinton St Mary  Hinton St Mary shown within Dorset
Population	260
District	North Dorset
Shire county	Dorset
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Police	Dorset
Fire	Dorset
Ambulance	South Western
EU Parliament	South West England
List of places UK England Dorset

Hinton St Mary is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England. It is sited on a low Corallian limestone ridge beside the River Stour, 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the market town Sturminster Newton. It lies within the North Dorset administrative district. In 2001 the parish had 97 households and a population of 221. In 2013 the estimated population of the parish was 260.

The parish church, dedicated to St Peter, has a 15th-century tower. The manor house next to the church was once owned by the nuns of Shaftesbury Abbey.

Roman mosaic

Main article: Hinton St Mary Mosaic

In 1963 a Roman building of unknown type, possibly a villa or a church, was discovered in the village. On the floor of one room was laid a large 4th-century mosaic depicting Bellerophon and the Chimera (illustrating good defeating evil) and a portrait bust that may be a depiction of Christ. The bust is now on display in the British Museum. The rest is kept in storage.

Millennium Garden

The village has a community garden constructed in an episode of the BBC series Charlies Garden Angels, hosted by Charlie Dimmock. The garden was made during 1999, with local people and businesses helping to create it. It is now known as the Millennium Garden as it was built to celebrate the new millennium.

File:Cutt Mill - geograph.org.uk - 330539.jpg

Cutt Mill in 2006

Cutt Mill

Cutt Mill, sited on the River Stour to the northwest of the village, was burned down in 2003 by vandals. The building remains unused as the structure is now unsafe, although there have been plans proposed to either rebuild it, turn it into holiday flats, or turn it into a source of hydro-electric power.