Castle Street Drawing c1830

The content of these pages is to give the reader a taste of the local history in text and view pictures of the town as it used to be. The Red House museum formerly the old workhouse before the new one was built at Fairmile on the outskirts of the town, has on display items of archaeology from the Stone Age period to present day and includes a secluded garden. The museum is free to residents and a small fee for visitors. Well worth a visit!

During the Iron and Bronze Ages the main settlement for the area was a promontory fort at Hengistbury Head and linked to what was later to become Twenham by ferry. It is possible that Phoenician traders came to Hengistbury to exchange wine and jewellry for Mendip (Somerset) lead and silver. However Caesars conquest of Gaul around 45 BC would have stopped foreign trade. The Roman invasion of 43 AD by the Second Augusta Legion captured these hill forts throughout Wessex. A scattering of artifacts around Christchurch especially where the monastery stood and now the Priory informs us that there was a Roman high status building here at some time.

Christchurch (Twynham) was one of King Alfred's Royal Burghs (fort) in about 870 and remained a Royal possession until King Henry 1st bequeathed the Manor and lands to his cousin, Richard de Redvers, about the year 1100. It was he who provided part of the resources required to commence the building of the Priory Church.

The inhabitants of Christchurch received a Charter of Liberties from his son Baldwin, the 1st Earl of Devon and Lord of the Isle in or about the year 1150. This Charter, together with sundry other Charters from time to time granted to them, was recited in a Royal Charter dated 25 August 1670, being in the Twenty-second year of the reign of King Charles II. This Charter confirmed all and singular the privileges formerly enjoyed by the Burgesses and inhabitants and made them one Body Corporate by the style of the Mayor and Burgesses of the Town or Borough of Christchurch Twynham.

The Borough was re-incorporated by Royal Charter on 10 July 1886. This replaced the "old corporation" with a Municipal Borough with the corporate style of "the Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses of the Borough of Christchurch". As a result of this Charter of Incorporation, the new Town Council had full urban powers, the result being better roads, better sewerage and lighting.

In 1911 the boundaries were extended to include Mudeford and Jumpers and in 1932 further extended to include part of the Parish of Hurn and the Parish of Highcliffe. The Borough remained in being until 31 March 1974 when following the Local Government Act of 1972 the District of Christchurch was established. The new District was granted the status of Borough by a Royal Charter granted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 27 February 1974, taking effect on 01 April that year. In consequence, the Chairman of the Council is the Mayor and the Vice-Chairman is the Deputy Mayor.

The new district comprised the existing Borough, with the addition of the Parishes of Hurn and Burton. The Act also provided for the whole of the new District to be in the County of Dorset, instead of Hampshire. An entirely new Council consisting of 22 Members was elected on 07 June, 1973 and operated as a "shadow authority" until it took control on 01 April 1974. The number of Members increased to 25 in 1979.

In 1994, following the final report of the Local Government Commission for England, it seemed certain that the Borough would be merged with a larger unit to be called Eastern Dorset and that the traditions, independence and Mayoralty would all cease to exist. However the decision of the Secretary of State was against this and for the continuation of the Borough in a revised Two Tier Structure together with its Mayor. The Borough continues to be one of the smallest in the Country in terms of both area and population.

The Priory has twelve bells, tenor weighing 28cwt, pitched in D, with an optional thirteenth bell sounding a flat leading note. There were six bells in Christchurch Priory in 1727, also pitched in D. Christchurch Priory is notable in that it possesses two bells, the ninth and tenth, which were cast in 1370 and are among the oldest bells still rung regularly in Britain.

Samuel Bemister

Fortunately for us, some of the more prominent residents of the town, mainly local business men have managed to save some of the more statuesque buildings which retains Christchurch's historical character. So although we have to progress and modernise we must pay attention to our past and history and not lose sight of it altogether.