St Peter's Church, Bournemouth (must see)

St Peter's Church is a Church of England parish church in Bournemouth in the English county of Dorset. The building was completed in 1879 to a design by G.E. Street as the founding mother church of Bournemouth. It has unusual paintings, notable stained glass and alabaster, and a renowned musical tradition. The chancel has been described as 'one of the richest Gothic Revival interiors in England'.

St. Peter's was built over a period of twenty-four years from 1855 at the instigation of the vicar, the Reverend Alexander Morden Bennett, to replace an earlier building. G.E. Street was commissioned to create a finer church to match the beauty of the town. It was constructed between 1854 and 1879 on the foundations of the 1840s predecessor. The church, which sits opposite Beales department store in the heart of the town centre, was the founding mother church of Bournemouth. The 202 ft high spire is a landmark across the town centre and beyond. The church has an organ of three manuals and 48 speaking stops by Harrison and Harrison in 1914, rebuilt by Rushworth and Dreaper in 1976. There is also a Steinway grand piano in the church, and a Kawai grand piano in the song room.