THE victim of a mysterious prank, and an important piece of a global geometrical design - there is more to Christchurch than meets the eye.

The town's Priory is one of many sacred sites which, according to Harry Verness, author of The Great Design, is a key location in an ancient geometrical pattern of landscape design.

The design places Christchurch priory within a labyrinth of integrated global landmarks including Stonehenge, Rennes-le-Château and Egypt's pyramids.

According to local legend, Christchurch Priory owes its location to the mysterious movements of building materials during the 11th century, forcing its construction to be moved from the originally intended location on St Catherine's Hill to the site of an Old Saxon church, where it stands today.

This forced change in planning places the Priory, which houses the sacred "miraculous beam", and thus gave the town its holy name, on a significant bearing line in the plans of the Great Design.

According to local anthropologist Mike Stewart, this geometrical design suggests the possession of a vast navigational knowledge of the planet by ancient civilisations from thousands of years ago, predating existing theories and forming the first stage in the understanding of the topical Holy Grail.

Christchurch Priory is just one of the key locations dotted throughout Dorset and Hampshire to feature in The Great Design, offering an interesting new angle on local history.

  • The Great Design is available as an e-book from the internet publishing site Lulu.com where it can currently be downloaded for £2.36.