A SERIES of guided tours of Christchurch's historic Priory Church has been announced for the summer.

Dating from 1094, the church is still in daily use for worship, and visitors can see a number of different areas of the building, before enjoying a cream tea, included in the cost of the tour.

Starting in the Norman nave, the tour will take guests past the 14th Century Quire Screen, to the 15th century Lady Chapel and 16th Century Great Quire, where monks worshipped until 1539 when the Monastic buildings were destroyed by Henry VIII. It still boasts carvings in wood and stone from 1200 onwards.

The tour will then go through Cloister Way with its modern stained glass story of the church.

Tours take place on May 14, June 11, July 9 and August 13 at 2pm. Tickets are £10 from christchurchpriory.org/events or 01202 485804.