Welcome to St Stephen's Bournemouth, online. A member of the Bournemouth Town Centre Parish.

Rector:
Rev Canon Jim Richardson OBE, BA, FRSA, DipEd,

Team Vicar:
Rev Robin C N Harger BTh.

Here, you'll find information about all aspects of the Church, the Parish and the Music of St Stephen's.

To navigate the site, use the pull-down menu on the left. To return to this page at any point, just use your "back" button

A Place of Beauty
· The loveliest late Victorian Church in England
· Choir, organ and music of national renown
· Worship of dignity and splendour

A Place of Reflection
· Pilgrimages & retreats, study and meditation planned throughout the year
· Daily worship
· Open and available daily for quiet and prayer

A Place in the Community
· A host for concerts and recitals
· A central venue for local community, music and arts groups
· A place of tranquillity in the commercial heart of a busy holiday town

A Place in the Church
· Part of the Bournemouth Town Centre Parish in the Diocese of Winchester
· A partner in the ecumenical Town Centre Churches' Covenant
· An inclusive Anglo-Catholic tradition, focussed on the Eucharist, using Anglican liturgy

Pearson, when designing Truro Cathedral, is said to have told a friend that he wished to build a church that would bring people to their knees. This is what many people assert to be the impression made on them as they enter St. Stephen's Church. It suggests at once the sense of worship. This is largely due to the wonderful sense of proportion which makes it all one harmonious whole.There is no part which does not contribute its own beauty to the striking effect of the whole. There are certain features which arrest attention at once, the lofty stone groined roof; the triforium gallery which runs round the church; the very unusual feature of double aisles on each side of the nave; the ambulatory behind the High Altar and the chancel screen; the Chapel of Our Lady and the Blessed Sacrament on the left; the Calvary Chapel of St Michael and the Holy Souls on the right.

"St. Stephen's is one of the most beautiful churches in England…. its pale, soaring interior is one of the sights of Bournemouth and whenever you walk inside the church and in whichever direction you look, you get a fine view.
Every detail in the church, from the ironwork and woodwork to the mouldings of the stone, is carefully considered, and the church abounds in seemingly perfect vistas which give it a sense of mystery and eternity, a perfect architectural expression of the Catholic Faith of the Church of England…".
(Sir John Betjemen - 1954).

"Thank you for keeping the doors open. A sanctuary in the middle of a jungle".
(An entry in the visitors' book - 2002).

St. Stephen's is one of only three Grade 1 Listed Buildings in Bournemouth and occupies a significant position at the Victorian heart of the Town.
Much praise has been lavished on the building - most recently in 2000, by Simon Jenkins, in his book 'England's Thousand Best Churches'. He writes:

"a Masterpiece….a quiet, serene interior not out of place in a French Monastery"
Jenkins places St. Stephen's in his 'Top 100'.