Way Older Than Your Average Village

Bonchurch is ancient — it even pops up in the Domesday Book of 1086 as “Bonecerce,” meaning something like “Bon Church.” And before that? Flint tools and buried bones show people lived here in prehistoric times.

Saxon Saints & Norman Stones

Local legend says Bonchurch takes its name from St Boniface, an English missionary famous for cutting down a pagan oak tree in Germany and replacing it with a fir — the symbolic start of our modern Christmas tree.
Our Old St Boniface Church, rebuilt in the 11th century, still shows off its Norman walls. The spring just over the wall was likely the first site of worship here, and Roman remains once lay nearby — now lost in the cliff collapse around 1900.

When Bonchurch Faced Invaders (and Local Archers!)

In 1545, about 500 French troops landed near Bonchurch. Local militia — and, legend says, a few determined women with bows — sent them packing. Whether every arrow flew true or not, Bonchurch held its ground.

Landslips, Clefts & Wishing Stones

Bonchurch sits on the ever-shifting Undercliff, where cliffs, woods and sea mingle in dramatic fashion. The Bonchurch Landslip is now a protected SSSI, celebrated for its rare geology and tangled woodland beauty.
In Victorian times, visitors flocked here to marvel at its curiosities — the Devil’s Chimney, The Chink, and the mossy Wishing Seat, where wishes were whispered to the stones.
Sadly, since the major landslip of 2023, these once-famous paths and features are no longer open to visitors (for safety reasons), though their stories — and the spirit of exploration — still linger in the landscape.

Victorian Haven for Writers, Poets & Punters

In the 19th century, Bonchurch became the place for artistic souls. Charles Dickens stayed here in 1849 and wrote part of David Copperfield — so if the air feels unusually inspired, that’s why.
The poet Algernon Charles Swinburne grew up at East Dene, and author Henry De Vere Stacpoole (The Blue Lagoon) lived here for decades, even donating the village pond in memory of his wife.
And while Karl Marx didn’t stay in Bonchurch itself, he definitely spent time in nearby Ventnor — there’s even a plaque to prove it.

Meanwhile, the local Dick family were well known in the Victorian era; gossip says one daughter’s misfortune may have inspired Dickens’s Miss Havisham.

The Pond with a Past

Before it became the picture-perfect duck pond we know today, this spot was a soggy withy bed, where willow was cut for baskets and lobster pots. Around 1800, a Mr Hadfield drained and landscaped it — trading swamp for serenity.

The Manor with Many Lives

The name “Bonchurch Manor” has passed through a fair few hands (and houses). The original medieval manor disappeared long ago; later, a Victorian villa named Hawthorne Dene took on the title “Bonchurch Manor Hotel” — adding to the confusion.
Hawthorne Dene also spent time as a TB care home, another unexpected chapter in Bonchurch’s long and layered story.

Got a fun fact of your own?

If you know another curious tale or hidden gem about Bonchurch, we’d love to hear it!

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Ready for more?

If you’ve enjoyed these snippets of Bonchurch history, folklore, and gentle mischief — there’s plenty more waiting!