| Borough of Christchurch | |
|---|---|
 Within Dorset (above) and the United Kingdom (right).   |
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| Geography | |
| Status: | Non-metropolitan district, Borough |
| Region: | South West England |
| Ceremonial county: | Dorset |
| Historic county: | Hampshire |
| Area: - Total |
Ranked 300th 50.38 km² |
| Admin. Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially ' shire districts', are a type of local government district in England. The region, also known as the government office region, is currently the highest tier of local government sub-national entity of England, with only one South West England is one of the Regions of England. It is the largest such region in terms of area and extends from Gloucestershire and Wiltshire to The ceremonial counties are areas of England that are appointed a Lord-Lieutenant, and are defined by the government as the Counties for the purposes of the Lieutenancies Dorset ( (or archaically, Dorsetshire) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast The historic counties of England are ancient subdivisions of England. Wildlife Hampshire has wildlife typical of the island of Great Britain Surface area is the measure of how much exposed Area an object has This is a list of Districts of England ordered by area. The areas given are calculated from the Output Areas created for Census 2001 and made available To help compare sizes of different geographic regions we list here Areas between 10 km² (1000 Hectares and 100 km² (10000 hectares Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of HQ: | Christchurch |
| ONS code: | 19UC |
| Post Office and Telephone | |
| Post Code: | BH |
| Post Town: | CHRISTCHURCH |
| Dialling Code: | 01202/01425 |
| Demographics | |
| Population: - Total (2006 est. The Office for National Statistics coding system is a hierarchical code used in the United Kingdom for tabulating Census and other statistical data In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology ) - Density |
Ranked 345th 45,000 893 / km² |
| Ethnicity: | 98. The density of a material is defined as its Mass per unit Volume: \rho = \frac{m}{V} Different materials usually have different The figures are mid-year estimates for 2007 from the Office for National Statistics. 9% White |
| Politics | |
Christchurch Borough Council http://www.christchurch.gov.uk/ |
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| Leadership: | Alternative - Sec. The pattern of local government in England is complex with the distribution of functions varying according to the local arrangements 31 |
| Control: | Conservative |
| MP: | Christopher Chope |
Christchurch is a borough and town in Dorset on the English Channel coast, adjoining Bournemouth in the west, with the New Forest to the east. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Composition Graphical representation of the House of Commons This is a comparison of the party strengths in the British House of Commons Christopher Robert Chope OBE (born 19 May 1947 is a British Barrister and Conservative Party Politician. A borough is an Administrative division of various countries In principle the term borough designates a self-governing Township although in practice A town is a type of settlement ranging from a few to several thousand (occasionally hundreds of thousands inhabitants although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan Dorset ( (or archaically, Dorsetshire) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast Bournemouth ( is a large coastal resort town in the Borough of Bournemouth in Dorset, England. The New Forest is an area of southern England which includes the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land heathland and Forest in the heavily-populated
The town is served by Christchurch railway station. Christchurch railway station is an urban railway station serving the city of Christchurch, in the Canterbury region of New Zealand ’s South Island
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Geography and administration
Although within the historic county boundaries of Hampshire, at the time of the 1974 local government re-organisation it was considered desirable that the whole of what is now called the South East Dorset conurbation, which includes Bournemouth and Poole, should be part of the same county. The historic counties of England are ancient subdivisions of England. Wildlife Hampshire has wildlife typical of the island of Great Britain The South east Dorset conurbation (also known as the South Dorset conurbation, Poole-Bournemouth urban area and Bournemouth urban area) is a multi-centred Bournemouth ( is a large coastal resort town in the Borough of Bournemouth in Dorset, England. Poole ( is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset on the south coast of England The current local government district, which has borough status, was formed by the merger of the old borough of Christchurch with part of Ringwood and Fordingbridge Rural District. Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially ' shire districts', are a type of local government district in England. Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially ' shire districts', are a type of local government district in England. Ringwood and Fordingbridge was a Rural district in Hampshire from 1932 to 1974 It was formed by the merger of part of the disbanded Since then it has been part of the non-metropolitan county of Dorset. Dorset ( (or archaically, Dorsetshire) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast It includes large unurbanised areas, including Bournemouth International Airport, and the parishes of Burton and Hurn. For the World War II use of this facility see RAF Hurn Bournemouth Airport (previously known as Hurn Airport) is an airport Hurn is a village in south east Dorset, England, situated between the River Stour and River Avon in the borough of Christchurch, five
History
The town was originally a Saxon settlement called Twyneham (which gives the town's central school its name), from "betweon eam", which meant (the settlement) between two rivers. For their language see Anglo-Saxon language. Anglo-Saxon is the term usually used to describe the invading Tribes in the south Twynham School (also known as Twynham Comprehensive School is a Comprehensive School in Christchurch Dorset.
During Saxon times the harbour was one of the most important in England as it was easily reached from the continent and boats could enter the harbour and travel up the river Avon all the way to Salisbury. The sheltered harbour and easy access to neighbouring towns also made the area popular with smugglers, culminating in the "Battle of Mudeford" in 1784 between Customs & Excise and the smugglers. A famous smuggler called thomas tripp was involved in this battle, there is a public house named after him. There was a Saxon mint (coin) in "Twynam" until just before the Norman Conquest. For their language see Anglo-Saxon language. Anglo-Saxon is the term usually used to describe the invading Tribes in the south A mint is an industrial facility which manufactures Coins for Currency.
Demographics
The borough has a population of 44,869 (according to 2001 figures), of whom a significant proportion are comfortably off senior citizens (33. In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. 1% of the population are of retirement age). Indeed, the area of Highcliffe on the borough's eastern boundary possesses the highest percentage of elderly residents in the entire United Kingdom (70%). Highcliffe-on-Sea (usually abbreviated to Highcliffe) is a small town in the borough of Christchurch Dorset in southern England. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located
Present day
The Avon and the Stour both enter the sea in Christchurch Harbour. The River Avon is a River in the counties of Wiltshire, Hampshire and Dorset in the south of England, sometimes distinguished The River Stour is a 605 Mile (97 Km) long River which flows through Wiltshire and Dorset in southern England, and Christchurch Harbour is a Natural harbour in the county of Dorset, on the south coast of England named after the town of Christchurch. This medium-sized priory and market town is generally regarded as a conservative, slow-paced and popular tourist and retirement destination "where time is pleasant" (according to the town's official description). The older part of the town, dominated by the Priory Church (the longest parish church in England), dates from Saxon times and still retains its Saxon street layout. It is an interesting mixture of picturesque walks, quaint houses, restaurants, public houses and specialist shops, some of which date back to smuggling times.
In Christchurch there are several reserved buildings including the thatched 14th century Old Court House and the Georgian Red House.
The town centre is dominated by Christchurch Priory and the High Street with its squares and parades containing shopping facilities. Christchurch Priory is a Parish and former Priory church, located at in Christchurch in the English county of Dorset Christchurch forms part of the south east Dorset conurbation along with Bournemouth, Poole and adjacent areas of East Dorset. A conurbation is an Urban area or Agglomeration comprising a number of Cities, large Towns and larger urban areas that through Population Bournemouth ( is a large coastal resort town in the Borough of Bournemouth in Dorset, England. Poole ( is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset on the south coast of England Settlements Settlements with a population over 2500 are in bold.
The harbour is a large protected salt marsh protected by a sand bar at the entrance. The harbour is only accessible to shallow draught boats due to the sand bars at the entrance. The entrance, known as the Run, has Mudeford Quay on one side and the sand bar on the other. Considerable tides flow here, up to 6 knots during spring tides. The harbour is a protected wildlife refuge and is home to large populations of swans, waders and other bird life. On the south side the harbour is enclosed by Hengistbury head which was the site of the earliest settlement here dating back to the Neolithic. The landward end of the headland still has the bank and ditch built about 2000BC to protect the settlement.
Stanpit Marsh Local Nature Reserve is situated just below the confluence of the Rivers Avon and Stour. During the 18th century it was notorious for smugglers landing tobacco and rum in the narrow channels of Christchurch Harbour. It comprises areas of saltmarsh, freshwater marsh with reed beds and areas of scrub. It was designated as a Local Nature Reserve in 1964 and in 1986 as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. It is approximately 65 ha in area and is managed by Christchurch Borough Council.
Nearby is Highcliffe Castle, a Grade I listed building. A listed building in the United Kingdom is a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural historical or cultural significance The castle was designed by William Donthorne for Charles Stuart, 1st Baron Stuart de Rothesay, and built between 1831 and 1835. William John Donthorne (1799-1859 was a notable English Architect of the early 19th century and one of the founders of what became the Royal Institute of British Charles Stuart 1st Baron Stuart de Rothesay GCB ( 2 January 1779 &ndash 6 November 1845) was a British Diplomat It stands on the site of High Cliff, a Georgian mansion that had belonged to Charles Stuart's grandfather John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute. John Stuart 3rd Earl of Bute, KG, PC (25 May 1713 &ndash 10 March 1792 styled Lord Mount Stuart before 1723 was a Scottish nobleman
The Member of Parliament for the Christchurch constituency is Christopher Chope, who holds a considerable vote majority of 15,559 and a percentage vote of 54. A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. Christchurch is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Christopher Robert Chope OBE (born 19 May 1947 is a British Barrister and Conservative Party Politician. 7% following the 2005 general election, making Christchurch one of the safest Conservative constituencies in the country. Results Overview For events leading up to the date of the election see article Pre-election day events of the United Kingdom general
Fashion photographer Jo Jukes and her father, head of the town's community responders, live in Christchurch.
Christchurch is twinned with:
- Aalen, Germany.svg/22px-Flag_of_Belgium_(civil).svg.png)
- Saint-Ghislain, Belgium
- Tatabánya, Hungary
- Christchurch, New Zealand
- St Lô, France
External links
- Christchurch Directory
- 171 (Christchurch) Sqn ATC
- The definitive community website for Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch UK
- Christchurch UK
- Christchurch Community Website
- Christchurch
- The Official Christchurch Priory website
- SaxonSquare.com - Community Forum for Christchurch
- The Black House web site - Historic landmark linked with the history of smuggling in the area
- The Family Church Christchurch, a church involved in the community
- Hotels and Inns in Christchurch
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