A face on a stone statue commemorating the 900th anniversary of the Priory. If a picture could speak a thousand words!
Where to start. I am so many posts behind. That is one of the challenging aspects of visiting friends and family. It is a little tougher to spend time on the computer because you want to visit with them. So I hope in the next couple of days to get caught up and back on track. This is not a complaint, just reality.
The Priory in Christchurch, England
The building of this church started in 1094 and like the Priory in Bridlington, it is beautiful in its stone-like manner. This Priory was not destroyed like the one in Bridlington, so is a little more elaborate. There are some amazing features inside and is in exceptional shape given its age. It provides a clear land-marker for Christchurch, which is just to the west (I hope I have that right) of Bournemouth. Actually Christchurch is where my girlfriend Valerie lives. I always say it is Bournemouth, but she is actually in Christchurch. Luckily, this Christchurch is not fraught with earthquakes.
I believe this is the High Altar, Jesse screen (1360) with a Hans Feibusch mural above (1967)
One thing I have loved doing on my travels is trying to look at the lesser known places as every place has a beauty about it and Christchurch on the south coast of England adjacent to Bournemouth is no exception. It is funny because when people have asked me where I am going and I told them Bournemouth, everyone said “why?”. Apparently Bournemouth has a reputation of just being a retirement place of no exception (and I am including Christchurch here) but I beg to differ. With my fresh traveller eyes I see beauty everywhere I go, including here.
The grand interior of the Priory
Being right on the south coast of England, Christchurch has a lovely seaside but also a quaint old town. Valerie is a wealth of information. Apparently Lawrence of Arabia lived in this southern vicinity of England – not Christchurch perse but the adjacent peninsula which we visited yesterday. I can understand given its proximity to the mainland of Europe that much of the southcoast has been significant from a historical standpoint. Perhaps drowned out by the presence of London to the north, it should not be overlooked.
The Great Tower
One ruin that I stumbled upon and really loved was the Great Tower. This was part of a Norman Castle that once dominated the town of Christchurch. Richard de Redvers, who accompanied William the Conqueror to England in 1066, was granted the manor of Christchurch on 1100. He built an earthwork and timber castle here, and this stone keep was added several years later. The castle was home to his family for 150 years and then owned by many important figures including two queens of England. The stone tower was added in about 1300.
The thick wall of the great tower
As always I marvel at the grandeur, sheer size and massiveness of these structures. I am always fascinated by castles and fortifications. So a fairly unfamiliar town such as Christchurch was not so unimportant in days past.
A pictorial representation of Christchurch with the dominant Priory and the Great Tower from centuries past.
I guess what I am trying to say, is that sometimes it is the smaller lesser known places that hold the most amazing treasures. Even better, because they are for the most part, not really on the radar of tourists, there is much more room for roaming about and exploring. I highly recommend getting off the beaten path.
Place Mill, mentioned in the Domesday Survey of 1086 was worth 30 shillings a year has medieval stonework and was used for both fulling and corn grinding until 1908.
You are a wealth of kn owledge – hope I can remember some of it.
Well I do get some help from written literature and the internet