The town's harbour, beaches, nature reserves and historically important buildings have made Christchurch a popular tourist destination.

They settled on a stretch of raised land between the rivers Avon and Stour which carried people and their wares to and from market settlements such as Blandford and Old Sarum (near modern Salisbury).

[6] In around 890 AD, Alfred the Great considered Twynham to be of such strategic importance that, with the threat of invasion by the Danes, he made it a burh and defensive walls were erected around the town.

[7] In 1094 a chief minister of King William II, Ranulf Flambard, then Dean of Twynham, began the building of a priory on the site of the original mission church.

Christchurch changed hands a number of times: originally under Royalist control, it was captured by Sir William Waller's Parliamentary army in 1644.

Lord Goring briefly retook the town in 1645 but was obliged to withdraw and returned with a larger force days later and laid siege to the castle.

As part of his plans to improve trade in the town, he attempted to resolve the problems with the harbour entrance by cutting a new one through the sandspit at the foot of Hengistbury Head.

[12] Smuggling was one of Christchurch's most lucrative industries during the 18th and 19th centuries due to easy access to neighbouring towns and the difficult harbour entrance which acted as a barrier to customs cutters.

[26] During the Second World War an Airspeed factory was built on the airfield, and began manufacturing aircraft for the RAF; the USAAF Ninth Air Force established a base there in 1944.

The borough council was initially based at the Town Hall, which at that time was much larger, incorporating adjoining former school buildings to the rear.

In 1980 the council moved to new Civic Offices on Bridge Street, after which most of the Town Hall was demolished to make way for the Saxon Square shopping centre, retaining only the original 1859 section.

The seat was recreated in 1983 from parts of the Christchurch and Lymington, North Dorset and New Forest constituencies, and was held by Robert Adley (Conservative) from its creation until his death in 1993.

In the 2010 general election, Chope retained his seat with a considerable majority of 15,410 and 56.4% of the vote, making Christchurch one of the safest Conservative constituencies in the country.

The harbour is protected by a natural headland (Hengistbury Head) at the start of the sandbanks, and is a special site for sand martins which nest annually in the sandy cliffs.

On the south side, the harbour is enclosed by Hengistbury Head which was the site of the earliest settlement here dating back to the Bronze Age.

Due to its commanding views, St. Catherine's Hill has been in use since prehistoric times as a look-out area and beacon and in more recent years served as a military training ground.

The presence of the Gulf Stream ensures that the British Isles maintain an all-year-round ambient temperature, and, because of its position on the south coast of England, Christchurch has slightly warmer winters and cooler summers than settlements further inland.

It is in place to reduce urban sprawl, prevent the towns in the South East Dorset conurbation from further convergence, protect the identity of outlying communities, and preserve nearby countryside.

Landscape features and greenfield facilities within include the rivers Stour, Moors, Avon and their floodplains, Christchurch Priory, Chapel Lane solar farm, Blackwater and St Catherine's hills, Hurn Forest, Stanpit Marsh, Mudeford Spit, and the Adventure Wonderland theme park.

[80] In common with the rest of Dorset, Christchurch has low numbers of black and minority ethnic groups: the vast majority (96.83%) consider themselves to be White British.

[103] It takes place around the second week in August and involves rowing competitions on the River Stour and a travelling funfair sited on the adjacent town quay.

Christchurch's town centre encompasses a mixture of traditional public houses, restaurants, coffee shops, antiquated cottages and historic listed buildings.

[110] The Grade II listed Mayor's Parlour was built as the market hall in 1745 at the far end of the High Street but was moved to its present position in 1849.

[115] Ye Olde Eight Bells, a Grade II listed gift shop in Church Street, was once another alehouse frequented by smugglers and central to a number of local legends.

[116] Close by in Castle Street is the Perfumery, a 14th-century thatched property often referred to as the old courthouse; although some local historians maintain that this was next door and long gone.

Built circa 1816–1817 in the mediaeval tradition with dressed Portland stone, its design incorporates five wide segmental arches, circular piers and capped cutwaters.

Place Mill is a Grade II* listed Anglo-Saxon watermill[128] located a short distance to the south of the Priory on Christchurch Quay.

[130] A millstream is supplied from the Royalty Fisheries near to the Electricity Museum behind Bargates, and flows for nearly 0.5 miles (0.80 km) to the mill between the Avon and the Priory grounds before joining the River Stour.

[132] The town's football team, Christchurch F.C., play at Hurn Bridge Sports Club, which is situated at the junction of the Avon Causeway and Matchams Lane.

To the north of the town, the A35 connects to the A31, which is the major trunk road in central southern England and provides access to the M27 motorway at Southampton.