Christchurch Priory dating back to the 11th Century, in April 2017, Christchurch, Dorset, England.
Christchurch is a borough and town in the county of Dorset on the south coast of England. The town lies next Bournemouth in the west and the New Forest lies to the east. Historically and previously within Hampshire, it joined Dorset with the reorganisation of local government in 1974 and is the most easterly borough in the county. It covers an area of 19.5 square miles and has a population of around 45,000, making it the fourth most populous town in the county.
The story of Christchurch Priory goes back to at least the middle of the 11th century, as Domesday says there was a priory of 24 secular canons here in the reign of Edward the Confessor. The Priory is on the site of an earlier church dating from 800 AD. In 1094 a chief minister of William II, Ranulf Flambard, then Dean of Twynham, began the building of a church. Local legend has it that Flambard originally intended the church to be built on top of nearby St. Catherines Hill but during the night, all the building materials were mysteriously transported to the site of the present priory. Although in 1099 Flambard was appointed Bishop of Durham, work continued under his successors, and by about 1150 there was a basic Norman church consisting of a nave, a central tower and a quire extending eastwards from the crossing. It was during this period that another legend originated, that of the miraculous beam, which was to change the name of the town from Twynham to the present day Christchurch.
The Priory is noted for its Miraculous Beam, which attracts people from all over the world. Within the Priory grounds, stands Priory House, a Grade II listed mansion built in 1777 by Gustavus Brander. The Priory is in active use for worship and forms part of the Church of England Diocese of Winchester. The legend of the miraculous beam dates to the early 12th century. The story is that a beam was found to have been cut too short when it was hoisted into place. This would have been embarrassing for the carpenters since the wood was expensive and would be difficult to replace. There was however a mysterious carpenter who had worked and ate alone. The day following the discovery, when the carpenters returned they found the beam was in place and it now fitted. The unknown carpenter was never seen again, and the story came to be that it was Jesus Christ who had intervened. The church became Christ’s Church of Twynham in commemoration of the event. In time the town became Twynham Christchurch and eventually shortened to Christchurch. The beam can be seen today and is located in the Priory’s Ambulatory.
On the 2nd April I visited this popular site on a day which was surprisingly sunny and warm. Therefore it was quite busy with many people walking about enjoying this part of Christchuch and the surrounding areas. Christchurch Castle is located in Christchurch, Dorset, England. The earliest stonework has been dated to 1160 AD. It is a Norman motte ( which is a mound forming the site of a castle or camp ) and bailey castle. The castle's site is inside the old Saxon Burh ( a burh or burg was an Old English fortification or fortified settlement. In the 9th century, raids and invasions by Vikings prompted Alfred the Great to develop a network of burhs and roads to use against such attackers. dominating the River Avon's lowest crossing ). The Constable's House standing adjacent to the castle was added at around 1160 and is a rare and notable example of a Norman domestic dwelling. Today the bailey is home to a bowling green and gardens and the ditch has been filled but parts of the keep and much of the constable's house still stand. The site is managed by English Heritage.
The castle is believed to stand on the site of an earlier wooden fort built in 924 AD following the capture of the town ramparts in 901 AD by Aethelwold King of Wessex and subsequently fortified with a motte by Edward the Elder. After the Norman conquest of 1066 the castle's defences were strengthened by the addition of a ditch and bailey surrounded by a wooden pallisade, sometimes called a stakewall or a paling—is typically a fence or wall made from wooden stakes or tree trunks and used as a defensive structure or enclosure. The wooden fort was eventually replaced with a stone keep. The Norman castle was a strategic defensive structure controlled by the king's constable until King Henry I ( 1100–1135 ) granted it as the caput of a feudal barony to his cousin Richard de Redver, feudal baron of Plympton, Devon. The Saxon defences had been against outside threats such as Viking raiders, however the Norman fortress was more concerned with subduing the local population. It was also a useful base for enforcing the New Forest Laws. The castle controlled the harbour and inland access via the Rivers Avon and River Stour. The earliest masonry has been dated to around 1160, there is documentary evidence of the castle existing in circa 1130. Richard de Redvers is often named has the castle's first builder, although there is little documentary evidence of this and this castle may well have been on the site of the earlier Saxon castle. A great tower was built probably around 1300. The castle again saw action during the Civil War of 1642 to 1651. The Parliamentarians were allowed to take control of the castle in 1644. The Royalists laid siege to it for 3 days, demolishing houses on the corner of Church Street and Castle Street in order to site their cannons. The Royalists were unable to take the castle and Cromwell fearing such a powerful stronghold, ordered it to be slighted in 1652. The castle is now in ruins; a couple of the keep walls remain and the remains of a rectangular moat.
Christchurch Quay, from the quay you can find a ferry that will take you over to Hengistbury Head, also a little further along the Quay there is a ferry boat ( named the Wick Ferry ) that will take you across the river to the pretty village of Wick or even onto the Tuckton tea rooms. This ferry started around 1880 by Eli Miller, and only cost then, a halfpenny to cross the river. Christchurch was founded in the 7th century at the confluence of the rivers Avon and Stour which flow into Christchurch Harbour. The town was originally named Twynham but became known as Christchurch following the construction of the priory in 1094. The town developed into an important trading port and was fortified in the 9th century. Further defences were added in the 12th century with the construction of a castle which was destroyed by the Parliamentarian Army during the English Civil War. During the 18th and 19th centuries smuggling flourished in Christchurch and became one of the town's most lucrative industries. The town was heavily fortified during Second World War as a precaution against an expected invasion and in 1940 a Airspeed factory was established on the town's airfield which manufactured aircraft for the Royal Air Force.
Smuggling was one of Christchurch's most lucrative industries during the 18th and 19th centuries due to easy access to neighbouring towns and the difficult harbour entrance which acted as a barrier to customs cutters. Many townspeople were involved in this illegal trade and large quantities of wealth were accumulated. In 1784 a confrontation between a gang of local smugglers and Customs and Excise officers led to the Battle of Mudeford in which a Royal Navy officer was killed and a smuggler subsequently executed. Another important industry during this period was the manufacture of fusee chains for watches and clocks. In 1790, Robert Cox began to manufacture fusee chains in workshops in the High Street. By 1793 Cox gained a monopoly on chain production in Britain, supplying watch, clock and chronometer makers throughout the country. In 1845 William Hart opened a similar factory in Bargates. However by 1875 the chains were no longer required due to changes in watch designs and the factories were closed.
Christchurch Priory dating back to the 11th Century, in April 2017, Christchurch, Dorset, England.
Christchurch is a borough and town in the county of Dorset on the south coast of England. The town lies next Bournemouth in the west and the New Forest lies to the east. Historically and previously within Hampshire, it joined Dorset with the reorganisation of local government in 1974 and is the most easterly borough in the county. It covers an area of 19.5 square miles and has a population of around 45,000, making it the fourth most populous town in the county.
The story of Christchurch Priory goes back to at least the middle of the 11th century, as Domesday says there was a priory of 24 secular canons here in the reign of Edward the Confessor. The Priory is on the site of an earlier church dating from 800 AD. In 1094 a chief minister of William II, Ranulf Flambard, then Dean of Twynham, began the building of a church. Local legend has it that Flambard originally intended the church to be built on top of nearby St. Catherines Hill but during the night, all the building materials were mysteriously transported to the site of the present priory. Although in 1099 Flambard was appointed Bishop of Durham, work continued under his successors, and by about 1150 there was a basic Norman church consisting of a nave, a central tower and a quire extending eastwards from the crossing. It was during this period that another legend originated, that of the miraculous beam, which was to change the name of the town from Twynham to the present day Christchurch.
The Priory is noted for its Miraculous Beam, which attracts people from all over the world. Within the Priory grounds, stands Priory House, a Grade II listed mansion built in 1777 by Gustavus Brander. The Priory is in active use for worship and forms part of the Church of England Diocese of Winchester. The legend of the miraculous beam dates to the early 12th century. The story is that a beam was found to have been cut too short when it was hoisted into place. This would have been embarrassing for the carpenters since the wood was expensive and would be difficult to replace. There was however a mysterious carpenter who had worked and ate alone. The day following the discovery, when the carpenters returned they found the beam was in place and it now fitted. The unknown carpenter was never seen again, and the story came to be that it was Jesus Christ who had intervened. The church became Christ’s Church of Twynham in commemoration of the event. In time the town became Twynham Christchurch and eventually shortened to Christchurch. The beam can be seen today and is located in the Priory’s Ambulatory.
On the 2nd April I visited this popular site on a day which was surprisingly sunny and warm. Therefore it was quite busy with many people walking about enjoying this part of Christchuch and the surrounding areas. Christchurch Castle is located in Christchurch, Dorset, England. The earliest stonework has been dated to 1160 AD. It is a Norman motte ( which is a mound forming the site of a castle or camp ) and bailey castle. The castle's site is inside the old Saxon Burh ( a burh or burg was an Old English fortification or fortified settlement. In the 9th century, raids and invasions by Vikings prompted Alfred the Great to develop a network of burhs and roads to use against such attackers. dominating the River Avon's lowest crossing ). The Constable's House standing adjacent to the castle was added at around 1160 and is a rare and notable example of a Norman domestic dwelling. Today the bailey is home to a bowling green and gardens and the ditch has been filled but parts of the keep and much of the constable's house still stand. The site is managed by English Heritage.
The castle is believed to stand on the site of an earlier wooden fort built in 924 AD following the capture of the town ramparts in 901 AD by Aethelwold King of Wessex and subsequently fortified with a motte by Edward the Elder. After the Norman conquest of 1066 the castle's defences were strengthened by the addition of a ditch and bailey surrounded by a wooden pallisade, sometimes called a stakewall or a paling—is typically a fence or wall made from wooden stakes or tree trunks and used as a defensive structure or enclosure. The wooden fort was eventually replaced with a stone keep. The Norman castle was a strategic defensive structure controlled by the king's constable until King Henry I ( 1100–1135 ) granted it as the caput of a feudal barony to his cousin Richard de Redver, feudal baron of Plympton, Devon. The Saxon defences had been against outside threats such as Viking raiders, however the Norman fortress was more concerned with subduing the local population. It was also a useful base for enforcing the New Forest Laws. The castle controlled the harbour and inland access via the Rivers Avon and River Stour. The earliest masonry has been dated to around 1160, there is documentary evidence of the castle existing in circa 1130. Richard de Redvers is often named has the castle's first builder, although there is little documentary evidence of this and this castle may well have been on the site of the earlier Saxon castle. A great tower was built probably around 1300. The castle again saw action during the Civil War of 1642 to 1651. The Parliamentarians were allowed to take control of the castle in 1644. The Royalists laid siege to it for 3 days, demolishing houses on the corner of Church Street and Castle Street in order to site their cannons. The Royalists were unable to take the castle and Cromwell fearing such a powerful stronghold, ordered it to be slighted in 1652. The castle is now in ruins; a couple of the keep walls remain and the remains of a rectangular moat.
Christchurch Quay, from the quay you can find a ferry that will take you over to Hengistbury Head, also a little further along the Quay there is a ferry boat ( named the Wick Ferry ) that will take you across the river to the pretty village of Wick or even onto the Tuckton tea rooms. This ferry started around 1880 by Eli Miller, and only cost then, a halfpenny to cross the river. Christchurch was founded in the 7th century at the confluence of the rivers Avon and Stour which flow into Christchurch Harbour. The town was originally named Twynham but became known as Christchurch following the construction of the priory in 1094. The town developed into an important trading port and was fortified in the 9th century. Further defences were added in the 12th century with the construction of a castle which was destroyed by the Parliamentarian Army during the English Civil War. During the 18th and 19th centuries smuggling flourished in Christchurch and became one of the town's most lucrative industries. The town was heavily fortified during Second World War as a precaution against an expected invasion and in 1940 a Airspeed factory was established on the town's airfield which manufactured aircraft for the Royal Air Force.
Smuggling was one of Christchurch's most lucrative industries during the 18th and 19th centuries due to easy access to neighbouring towns and the difficult harbour entrance which acted as a barrier to customs cutters. Many townspeople were involved in this illegal trade and large quantities of wealth were accumulated. In 1784 a confrontation between a gang of local smugglers and Customs and Excise officers led to the Battle of Mudeford in which a Royal Navy officer was killed and a smuggler subsequently executed. Another important industry during this period was the manufacture of fusee chains for watches and clocks. In 1790, Robert Cox began to manufacture fusee chains in workshops in the High Street. By 1793 Cox gained a monopoly on chain production in Britain, supplying watch, clock and chronometer makers throughout the country. In 1845 William Hart opened a similar factory in Bargates. However by 1875 the chains were no longer required due to changes in watch designs and the factories were closed.