Christchurch: A Pictorial History: A Pictorial History

By Christine Taylor

Christchurch is surrounded by large wide marshes at the confluence of the Stour and the Avon. This strategic position gave Christchurch its former name Tweoxneam ... ‘the town between the rivers’. Its harbour was sheltered by nearby Hengistbury Head, a defensible site in more turbulent days, as well as an excellent look-out point. Its skyline is dominated by the Priory, which was famous in the Middle Ages for its relics and attracted many pilgrims. After the Reformation and, a century later, the Civil War, Christchurch fell into decline and became a small fishing town.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Phillimore & Co Ltd
• Release date: May 19, 2022
• ISBN: 9781803990781

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Introduction

Fabric of the Past

Christchurch lies on a spur of land between two rivers in the extreme east corner of Dorset, close to the borders of Hampshire. It was this location, at the confluence of the rivers Stour and Avon, that gave the town its former Saxon name of Tweoxneam—‘the town between the rivers’.

There is evidence to suggest that Christchurch was an important harbour in prehistoric times and artifacts have been found in the area which date back to the Old Stone Age or Palaeolithic Period. These early hunters and farmers led a nomadic lifestyle and it is not until the sixth or seventh centuries that people first settled in the area. Remains of Saxon settlers were discovered in a cemetery of a similar date at Bargates. Archaeological finds which include grave goods of spears, shield bosses and knives bear mute testimony to their turbulent past. Some of the finds can be seen in the Red House Museum and