High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Christchurch is a borough and town in the county of Dorset on the south coast of England. The town adjoins Bournemouth in the west and the New Forest lies to the east. Historically in Hampshire, it joined Dorset with the reorganisation of local government in 1974 and is the most easterly borough in the county. It covers an area of 19.5 square miles (51 km2) and has a population of approximately 45,000, making it the fourth most populous town in the county.