Canford Magna

Canford is a village and a parish situated on the River Stour and 2 miles south east from Wimborne. The ancient parish church [dedication unknown] is of Saxon and Norman origin and lies on the edge of the parklands of Canford Manor. The Manor House  [below] was originally a nunnery and then for a long time the seat of the lord of the manor. In 1923 it became a public school. There used to be chapels for Wesleyans and Congregationalists in the village. The village school was built in 1866 and now serves as the village hall. 

Broadstone is another village within the parish, the church of St John was built here in 1888. There are also hamlets of Upton and Knighton. Kinson is a tithing and ecclesiastical parish formed in 1865 out of Great Canford parish. Longfleet and Parkstone are also tithings of Canford, the ecclesiastical parish of Parkstone was formed out of Canford in 1833.

The area is noted for the manufacture of bricks and tiles. The soil is loam and the chief crops used to be wheat , barley and oats. After 1865 the area of the parish was reduced to 7678 acres. In 1891 the population was 1416 people.

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