Christchurch: the back story

About Christchurch: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Brighton Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Christchurch has been shaped by its rivers and its church. The Priory has stood here for over 900 years; the Normans built a castle and a riverside house beside it; and the harbour, protected by Hengistbury Head, opens to the sea at Mudeford.

Walk down Castle Street to the quay and Christchurch shows you nine centuries in a few hundred yards: the ruined keep on its mound, the Norman House by the millstream, the Priory’s great tower above the water meadows.

The Priory

Christchurch Priory has stood at the heart of the town for over 900 years. It is one of the longest parish churches in England, larger than many Anglican cathedrals, and it is open to visitors daily from 10am to 4pm, except during services.

Check opening times and trains on the official sites before you travel.

The castle and the Norman House

A large Norman castle once dominated the town; its great tower still stands on the mound. Beside the river is the twelfth-century chamber block known as the Norman House, one of the few surviving examples of domestic Norman architecture in England. Both are cared for by English Heritage.

From workhouse to museum

The Red House on Quay Road was built as a Georgian workhouse and is now a museum telling the story of Christchurch from before the Ice Age to modern times, with gardens behind.

The harbour

Christchurch Harbour is sheltered by Hengistbury Head; from Mudeford a ferry crosses to the spit and its beach huts. Along the shore to the east lie Avon Beach and the Grade I listed Highcliffe Castle on its clifftop.

Christchurch today

Christchurch is a market town and a sailing town: a street market fills the High Street every Monday, and hotels and restaurants line the water at Mudeford and Wick Ferry.

Our advice: start at the Priory, walk past the castle and the Norman House to the quay, and take the ferry from Mudeford towards Hengistbury Head.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Christchurch: the back story before you go.