Our duty to the future is to be accurate about the past

Please note: (1) As at 27th February 2023 BCP Council have completed a programme to renovate all the Blue Plaques. Click here for their news item.

(2) The "Christchurch Blue Plaques Millennium Trail" booklet is presently out of stock. BCP Council are working on a replacement, on which the references may be different.

Residents and visitors alike wandering around Christchurch must surely have noticed the nineteen Blue Plaques put up by the Christchurch Local History Society (which in 2011 became Christchurch History Society) at locations of historic importance, normally on buildings as close as possible to the true location.  Back in 2000 Christchurch Borough Council publish a booklet  “Christchurch Blue Plaques Millennium Trial” detailing forty-four key locations and the plaques and what they commemorated from research undertaken by the Christchurch Local History Society.

A series of three walks around the centre of Christchurch have been put together by Richard Randerson - a former Chairman - to demonstrate the heritage of the town to residents and visitors alike.

1.   Priory Area Historic Walk

This walk takes you on a walking tour around the historic Quarter of Christchurch around the Priory.  There are seven parts:

(i)     A Tour of the Historic Quarter of Christchurch around the Priory,

(ii)    Christchurch Workhouse (now the Red House Museum and Art Gallery,

(iii)   Church Street,

(iv)   Site of Old Market Square,

(v)    Castle Street,

(vi)   Convent Walk, and

(vii)  Place Mill

To start the walk, click here to go to part (i)

2.   High Street Historic Walk

This walk takes you on a walking tour around the High Street and Millhams Street. There are three parts:

(i)     Saxon Square and the Old Town Hall,

(ii)    Millhams Street, and

(iii)   Christchurch High Street

To start the walk, click here to go to part (i)

3.   Bargates Historic Walk

This walk takes you on a walking tour around the Bargate Quarter of Christchurch to the North of Christchurch Bypass.  There is one part only.

To start the walk, click here.