Heritage Open Day: Visit a remarkable Gothic Revival Victorian church in Bournemouth. St Stephen's Church, Bournemouth is one of Bournemouth’s most remarkable Victorian churches, celebrated for its striking Gothic Revival architecture and rich Anglo-Catholic tradition. Designed by the renowned architect John Loughborough Pearson, the church was built between 1881 and 1898 as a memorial to Reverend Alexander Morden Bennett, an important figure in the town’s early religious history. Often compared to a small cathedral because of its grand design, soaring interior, and beautiful stained glass, St Stephen’s has been described by Sir John Betjeman as “worth travelling 200 miles†to see.