{"id":324,"date":"2013-06-23T13:11:05","date_gmt":"2013-06-23T13:11:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chineland.com\/?page_id=324"},"modified":"2015-04-30T15:07:48","modified_gmt":"2015-04-30T15:07:48","slug":"christchurch","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/chineland.com\/?page_id=324","title":{"rendered":"Christchurch"},"content":{"rendered":"

Christchurch<\/h1>\n
\"Christchurch-harbour\"<\/a>

Christchurch Harbour<\/p><\/div>\n

At the eastern end of \u2018Chineland\u2019 is the pretty historic town of Christchurch. Its unique location, at the confluence of the rivers Stour and Avon together with its own large natural harbour, gives Christchurch an incredibly healthy feel and it is a favourite destination for visitors, residents and yachtsmen alike.<\/p>\n

Founded in the 7th century the town was originally named Twynham but became known as Christchurch following the construction of the\u00a0priory<\/a>\u00a0in 1094. The town developed into an important trading port and was fortified\u00a0in the 9th century. Further defences were added in the 12th century with the construction of a castle\u00a0which was destroyed by the\u00a0Cromwell during the English Civil War. During the 18th and 19th centuries smuggling\u00a0flourished in Christchurch and became one of the town’s most lucrative industries. The town was heavily fortified during Second World War\u00a0as a precaution against an expected\u00a0invasion.<\/p>\n

\"Fishing-on-Avon\"<\/a>

Fishing on the Avon<\/p><\/div>\n

Some time in the early 12th century, a castle\u00a0was built within the town. Originally a wooden fort built by Richard de Redvers, first cousin to King Henry I, it was rebuilt in stone by Baldwin de Redvers\u00a0to resist King <\/strong>Stephen\u00a0during the civil war\u00a0with the Empress Matilda. The castle again saw action during the Civil War of 1642-1651\u00a0when occupied by the Parliamentarians. Christchurch changed hands a number of times: originally under Roylist\u00a0control, it was captured by Sir William Waller’ss Parliamentary army in 1644. Lord Goring\u00a0briefly retook the town in 1645 but was obliged to withdraw and returned with a larger force days later and laid siege to the castle. However, the Parliamentarians withstood the siege and maintained their hold on the town. Fearing such a powerful stronghold might once again fall into Royalist hands, Cromwell\u00a0ordered the castle to be destroyed in 1652.<\/p>\n

\"Priory-Knave\"<\/a>

Priory Nave<\/p><\/div>\n

Although the fishing industry thrived in Christchurch, the importance of the harbour declined as it became inaccessible to vessels of a large draught. In 1665\u00a0Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon<\/a>, bought the\u00a0Lordship of the Manor<\/a>\u00a0of Christchurch. As part of his plans to improve trade in the town, he attempted to resolve the problems with the harbour entrance by cutting a new one through the\u00a0sandspit<\/a>\u00a0at the foot of\u00a0Hengistbury Head<\/a>. However, upon completion the new entrance repeatedly silted up and in 1703\u00a0a large storm<\/a>\u00a0damaged a\u00a0groyne<\/a> which blocked the entrance entirely. Over the following 150 years alternative schemes were proposed but none were ever taken up.<\/p>\n

\"Arch\"<\/a>

Convent Walk<\/p><\/div>\n

The Grade I listed\u00a0Christchurch Castle<\/a>\u00a0is of\u00a0Norman<\/a>\u00a0origin and once dominated the town but now lies in ruins and only a couple of the\u00a0keep<\/a>\u00a0walls remain. A castle has stood in Christchurch since approximately 924 AD when\u00a0Edward the Elder<\/a>\u00a0fortified the town with a wooden fort. After the\u00a0Norman conquest<\/a>\u00a0in 1066 the castle’s defences were strengthened with a ditch and\u00a0bailey<\/a>\u00a0surrounded by a wooden\u00a0palisade<\/a>. The wooden fort was replaced; at first with another wooden structure and then a stone keep which was constructed in the 12th century. Within the curtain wall of the castle stands the Constable’s House, a Grade I listed\u00a0Norman<\/a>\u00a0dwelling. Much of the building’s stonework remains, including a rare example of a Norman chimney (one of only five in the country) and the\u00a0privy<\/a>\u00a0which extends out across the mill stream.<\/p>\n

\"Bandstand\"<\/a>

Bandstand on Harbour Park<\/p><\/div>\n

Christchurch Priory which now dominates the town was once a monastery and was given to the town for use as a parish church by Henry VIII after the dissolution1540.\u00a0It is the longest parish church in England with a nave<\/a>\u00a0over 311 feet (95\u00a0m) long.\u00a0The nave and\u00a0transepts<\/a>\u00a0are Norman with heavy columns and round arches, whereas the\u00a0lady chapel<\/a> is from the 14th century and more\u00a0perpendicular<\/span><\/a><\/span>\u00a0in style. The great\u00a0choir<\/a>\u00a0is even later, having been rebuilt in the 16th century. The Priory is noted for the legend of its\u00a0Miraculous Beam<\/span><\/a><\/span> which attracts pilgrims from all over the world.Within the Priory grounds stands Priory House, a Grade II listed mansion built in 1777 by\u00a0Gustavus Brander<\/span><\/a><\/span>. The Priory is in active use for worship and forms part of the Church of England Diocese of Winchester.
\n—————————————————————————————————–
\nMore recent times.<\/span><\/p>\n

Today Christchurch continues to be the same popular tourist destination it has always been \u2013 its harbour, beaches, nature reserves and historic buildings attracting some 1.5 million visitors a year. It is also a popular destination for retirees and has one of the oldest populations in the country with 30 per cent of residents aged over 65. It is particularly known for its award winning Food and Wine Festival which takes place annually in May. Nearby is the attractive fishing village of Mudeford where you can take a ferry ride over to Mudeford Sandbank and Highcliffe which is renowned for its castle.<\/p>\n

If you can add to this article or help us update it we would really appreciate hearing from you. Please read the ‘Contributors’ page found on lower navigation bar.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Christchurch At the eastern end of \u2018Chineland\u2019 is the pretty historic town of Christchurch. Its unique location, at the confluence of the rivers Stour and Avon together with its own…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-324","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chineland.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/324"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chineland.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chineland.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chineland.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chineland.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=324"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/chineland.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/324\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":808,"href":"https:\/\/chineland.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/324\/revisions\/808"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chineland.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}