Jane's Midlife Journey

St Peter’s Church may be 800 years younger than its counterpart in neighbouring Christchurch, but its 62 metre high spire dominates the Bournemouth landscape. The Grade I listed church itself is worth a visit. However, its main claim to fame is as the final resting place of Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein.

How to get to St Peter’s Church

St Peter’s Church is in the heart of Bournemouth, just a 10 minute walk from the beach, so an interesting place to visit if the beach gets too hot/cold/crowded. Walk up through the Lower Gardens, turn right onto Gervis Place and continue until you see the church in front of you.

By Bus

There is a bus stop right outside. St Peter’s Church is served by several buses, including numerous local buses, the X1/X2/X3/X6. And in summer, the 50/70 Breezer Buses and the City Sightseeing Buses.

Opening Times

The church is open daily from 10 am until 4 pm. On Sunday, there are services at at 8 am, 10 am and 4 pm.

Price

There is no cost to enter the church. There is a small unmanned area where you can purchase guides, souvenirs etc with an honesty box (and, moving with the times, an honesty credit card reader).

Church

The church was built over a period of 24 years, finally being completed in 1879 in a Gothic Revival style.

The architect was commissioned to design a ‘finer church to match the beauty of the town’. He lived up to the request, creating an impressive building, complete with ornate stained glass windows and frescoes.

Chapel of Resurrection

A later addition was the Chapel of Resurrection, constructed in 1926 and dedicated to the victims of the First world War. It’s not the most ornate of buildings, to be honest. I thought it was a public toilet to start with!

Graveyard

The 3.5 acre graveyard in the centre of town doubles as an urban green space with benches and nature trails in amongst the gravestones.

The Shelley Family Tomb

Just next to the Chapel of Resurrection, you will find the Shelley Family Tomb, where several notable family members are interred.

Mary Shelley

As mentioned above, the graveyard contains the tomb of renowned writer Mary Shelley, who wrote the novel Frankenstein. After the death of her husband, she suffered with ill health. Her son, Percy thought the answer to her problems was to build a house by the sea in near Bournemouth, Sadly she died before construction was completed.

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Mary’s husband was the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, who died in Italy aged just 29. Legend has it that when he was cremated, his heart failed to burn and was rescued from the fire. Mary was so distraught at the death of her husband, that she allegedly kept his heart in a pocket sewn into her dress. And so his heart is now said to be buried with his wife’s body in Bournemouth.

Mary Wollstonecraft

It was Mary’s wish to be buried with her parents, so her son Percy had her buried in Bournemouth and had her deceased parents dug up from their graves in London to the family tomb at St Peter’s. Mary’s mother was Mary Wollstonecraft, a feminist writer and an advocate of women’s rights.

William Godwin

Mary’s father, William Godwin, was also a writer and an advocate of anarchy.

Percy and Jane Shelley

Son Sir Percy Shelley and his wife Jane Shelley did move into the house they had built in Bournemouth and upon their deaths, were also buried in the family plot.

History Trail

A History Trail marks the more notable graves. Each has been signposted with information boards telling you about their occupier. You can also learn about other famous people connected to the church.

Lewis Tregonwell

Another resident of St Peter’s graveyard is Captain Lewis Tregonwell, who is credited with founding the town of Bournemouth. He moved to the area in 1810. Like Percy Shelley, he hoped that living by the seaside would improve the health of a loved one – his wife was grieving the loss of a child. He was instrumental is the creation of the town and in promoting it as a holiday destination.

Hubert Parry

The composer Sir Hubert Parry, famous for putting the words of William Blake’s poem Jerusalem to music, was born in Bournemouth in 1848. His mother died 12 days after his birth and was buried in St Peter’s churchyard. Hubert was baptised here two days later.

William Gladstone

William Gladstone, who served as British Prime Minister four time adding up to a total of 12 years, came to Bournemouth in his latter years in an attempt to improve his health. He took his last communion here shortly before his death in 1898.

• Updated: July 2025

I hope you found this information useful. For more inspiration on things to do in and around Bournemouth, check out my 101 Things to do in Bournemouth here.