Christchurch

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Christchurch was a lovely surprise today. Several people had recommended going there, but I wish they were more adamant about how much history and British charm there is at the site. Once you walk past the regular high street, you enter the church and quay historic section…all very lovely.

The large church was one of the nicest I have visited. The volunteer told me the reason why English churches are so plain. King Henry dismantled monasteries, and then Oliver Cromwell ordered every church wall to be white washed and all the excessive statues to be removed. He even used this church as a horse stable! Now it is an active church all year long. This explains why Canterbury cathedral is with out colours.

After the church, I walked through the gardens to the quay and had a Devon cream tea, and then fed the swans. I toured the Red House museum, and made my way home via several buses.

Christchurch, England, is twinned with Christchurch, New Zealand. Around eleven years ago, I was walking up the Christchurch tower to see the New Zealander city square. A few weeks later at home I watched the tower collapse during harsh earthquake. Strange how life can move these situations close or far from us. The tourists in church tower perished during that earthquake

It was a lovely day in Christchurch, which has become my favourite town in this region.

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Photos

Church gardens
Waited for minutes before that duck got to this point

Christchurch
An active church today

There’s a reason why the walls are so bare
Oliver Cromwell ordered the paint to be removed as well as all the religious statues. He even turned this church into a horse stable. And then it returned to being a church, a plain one.

Devon cream tea
As dessert to my bowl of tomato soup