Eric Cockain , an architect, believes the Priory Church at Christchurch is a cathedral-sized Saxon church, the only one still standing on its original crypts and foundations. Enlargements, the first of many in 1094, enhanced its proportions without diminishing its Saxon mystique.

Of particular interest to the author is the carving of a gentleman with his magnificent handlebar moustache, 'Sam'. Who was 'Sam' and when was he crafted? Is he a representation of King Harold? Could he be a very early example of a Green Man in England?

Extract from The Saxon Face of Christchurch Priory

If only carvings in stone could speak there would be no need to write anything down, the masonry would say it all and what a story it would tell. Let me introduce to you my two principal personages in stone, who tell me all they know about the building of Christchurch Priory Church. They stare, thankfully alone, from their discreet perches, high up in the nave; a nave which I believe was laid down by the Saxons and extended upwards twice with full-height, rhythmically spaced vertical bands to further glorify this most perfect and grandest pre-conquest religious space. Both portray proper human expressions. One is authoritative and stern, the other free in spirit and happy with the bright individuality his face reveals. For centuries worshippers have accepted the discipline suggested by one whilst reaching out with the openness suggested by the other.