Bournemouth (St Stephen)

Tower of St Stephen's Church, Bournemouth

This church is described by Pevsner and Lloyd as the "finest church in Bournemouth"; a opinion that is echoed by Betjeman who calls it "probably the best church in Bournemouth." It was designed by John Loughborough Pearson of 1881-98, the tower being added later by his son F. L. Pearson in 1907-08. The church was built as a memorial to the Reverend Alexander Morden Bennett, late vicar of St. Peter's Church, a Tractarian, and a major influence on the development of Bournemouth's churches. The full story of Morden Bennett and the development of Bournemouth's churches is told in the book by Ian McQueen cited below.

Sources:

• Betjeman, J., Sir John Betjeman's guide to English parish churches, revised and updated by Nigel Kerr. London: HarperCollins, 1993, p. 240.
• Dorset Historic Churches Trust, Dorset Churches. [Dorchester]: DHCT, 1988, p. 14.
• Hope, M., Hampshire. In: Humphrey, S.C., ed., Blue guide: churches and chapels of southern England. London: Black; New York: Norton, 1991, pp. 270-271.
• Jenkins, S. England's thousand best churches. London: Allen Lane, the Penguin Press, 1999, p. 149.
• Leachman, E.W., S. Peter's Bournemouth. Bournemouth: Sydenham & Co., 1915.
• McQueen, I., Bournemouth St. Peter's. Milborne Port: Dorset Publishing Co., 1971.
• Pevsner, N. and Lloyd, D., The buildings of England: Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1967, p. 125.

Web pages:

St Stephen's Bournemouth Web pages: http://www.ststephensbournemouth.org/

Interior view of St Stephen's Church, Bournemouth

Stone pulpit in St Stephen's Church, Bournemouth

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Maintained by Michael Day
Last updated: 5 April 2002.