Christchurch

Resort town in Dorset, southern England, at the junction of the Stour and Avon rivers, 8 km/5 mi east of Bournemouth; population (2001) 40,200. Industries include seasonal tourism, and the manufacture of plastics and electronics. The Norman and Early English Holy Trinity church is the longest parish church in England, extending for 95 m/312 ft.

Features Holy Trinity Church, a former priory church, has a Perpendicular tower at the western end, and a Norman nave and north transept; the north porch, dating from about 1300, is the largest in England. The church contains a monument to the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. North of Holy Trinity are the ruins of a Norman castle, built in Henry I's reign. Christchurch is noted for salmon fishing and sailing. Nearby to the south is Hengistbury Head, a nature reserve.

History The priory of Christchurch is mentioned in Saxon documents as Twynham. In about 1095 it was partially rebuilt and endowed by Rannulf Flambard, bishop of Durham (d. 1128). The borough was first summoned to send representatives to Parliament in 1307. During World War II, the portable Bailey bridge was invented by Donald Bailey at the Ministry of Supply's experimental bridging works in Christchurch.