Grotto 250 Metres South East Of St Giles House

The grotto, built in the 1750s by Castles of Marylebone, is located 250 meters southeast of St Giles House in Wimborne St Giles. Constructed from flint and rubble, it features a tiled and slated roof. The grotto is currently overgrown and in a state of dereliction, obscuring much of its structure. It is designed to appear as the source of a spring that feeds the ornamental lake. The grotto has three rounded arches, with the central arch leading into the main grotto and the outer arches accessing subsidiary compartments.

The main grotto, which is difficult to enter now, has walls adorned with shells, fossils, coral, and stone, all mounted on a lathe and plaster vault that is partially collapsed. It consists of two chambers, with the innermost chamber reportedly containing a 19th-century tiled floor and fireplace. The subsidiary compartments feature flints suspended from iron hooks. The main grotto is accessed through a plank door. This grotto is an important example of its type but is currently in considerable disrepair.