Christchurch Priory

Welcome to Christchurch Priory, home to a thriving Christian community, set on the southernmost edge of the town on the confluence of the River Avon and the River Stour as they flow into Christchurch Harbour.

Prayer and worship have been offered on this site for more than 1,300 years, and in this Priory Church for over 900 years, by people who have left behind a testimony to their faith in the architecture of this magnificent parish church which dates back to Norman times. We are open every day of the year, and welcome a large number of visitors from across the world.

A wide range of services is on offer in the Priory, many of them involving our choirs which are among the best parish church choirs in the country. As a Christian community, we set out to be welcoming and inclusive, and so the Priory is also used by the people of Christchurch for weddings, funerals, baptisms, and other significant events in both local and national life.

We hope that you will have the opportunity to visit us, to enjoy the beauty and peace of this building, to take time for prayer and reflection, to light a candle, or to join us in any of our acts of worship which take place regularly in this remarkable church hallowed by centuries of prayer and worship.

The Church Wardens

St George at Jumpers

In the late 1890s at 4 Fitzmaurice Road (then called Church Road), the home of Mrs Whiteley, a Sunday School was started by Mrs Alicia Carter of Wick with the help of Miss Maud Druitt and Mrs Blair of Southbourne and the approval of the Vicar of Christchurch, Rev T. Bush.

On 4th August 1898 planning permission was granted for a 30ft by 18ft building to be built as a place of worship, which became known as Portfield and Jumpers Mission Church. This was built on land belonging to Mr John Preston where numbers 9 and 11 Fitzmaurice Road now stand. [Read more]

St John at Purewell

The foundation stone of the little mission church at Purewell Cross bears the inscription: 'To the Glory of God and in remembrance of her brothers - erected by Mary Long 1880'.

Four years earlier two messuages or tenements, workshops, fuelhouse and outhouses had been destroyed by fire and on September 23rd 1880, Miss Mary Long, a local benefactress, purchased the site for £200. When the building was completed with eight stained-glass windows, seating, reading desk and harmonium, the overall cost had risen by a further £800. [Read more]