Bournemouth
Less than 200 years ago the valley in which Bournemouth is situated was a wilderness of unused common land set between the already flourishing boroughs of Christchurch and Poole. It was the Victorian love affair with the seaside that changed the site from desolate heath to bustling resort in less than 50 years. Rich men built their villas on the pine-clad slopes of the Bourne Valley, speculators erected hotels on the high cliff-tops and by 1900 the town's population had risen from 695 in 1851 to approx. 59000; a major contributing factor was the arrival of the railway in 1870. Present day Bournemouth is a sophisticated town well used to pleasing visitor needs on a grand scale. With fine hotels, a mild climate, sandy beaches, lovely coastal views, 2000 acres of spacious parks and gardens, excellent quality entertainment and superb shopping facilities - this is very much a five-star resort.
A Dorset squire named Lewis Tregonwell founded Bournemouth in 1811 when he built a summerhouse on the site of what is now the Royal Exeter Hotel. Apart from a solitary inn, this was the only building on the wild stretch of heathland that followed the sweeping curve of Poole Bay; a coastline that came ready made for holiday- makers. The coast is rugged and split by three deep ravines or ‘chines' that cut through the cliffs and provide shady pine-filled groves that open out to the sea. In 1837 Sir George Tapps-Gervis, a local landowner, conceived the idea of establishing a resort on the land to the east of Tregonwell's estate, and in that year Westover Villas and Gardens and the Bath Hotel were built. In 1880, the iron pier was constructed replacing earlier jetties and forms a part of the present pier; one of the finest on the south coast it provided a landing stage for cruise boats and ferries to the Isle of Wight. Although the ferries are long gone the pier's theatre still perpetuates another tradition - staging bawdy shows that remain uniquely English seaside. The town's second pier, Boscombe Pier, was erected in 1886.
The major centres of entertainment are the Winter Gardens built in 1875, home of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, and the later Pavilion opened in 1929. This latter encompasses a 1600 seat theatre, ballroom and restaurant with terraces overlooking the Lowe Gardens, one of Bournemouth's principal attractions and the hub of the seafront. These gardens lie in a valley through which the River Bourne lazily meanders into the heart of Bournemouth; beyond are the Central and Upper Gardens leading to Meyrick Park, a pine-clad estate of 154 acres.
Five of Bournemouth's churches are listed as being of architectural or historical interest; the only one of great antiquity is St Andrew's at Kinson, which has a 12 th cent tower and 14 th cent chancel. Sir John Betjeman claimed that St Stephen's Church was "worth travelling 200 miles and being sick in the coach" to see. It is late 19 th cent and has a delightful Italian style campanile tower with an array of pillars in Bath stone; inside there is some wonderful stone vaulting. The town's original parish church is St Peter's, completed in 1879 in the Gothic style with a high square tower and spire; the stained glass in the south chancel was created by Pre-Raphaelite artistes William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones. Lying in St Peter's churchyard is the Shelley Tomb, burial place of Mary Shelley (1797-1851), author of the novel ‘Frankenstein' and wife of the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley; his heart, allegedly snatched from the flames of his ad hoc cremation on Viareggio Beach by Lord Byron, lies in the earth nearby.
Bournemouth has a number of excellent museums covering a wide range of subjects that will appeal to a variety of tastes. The Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum specialises in Victoriana, collected by the original owner on his many journeys overseas. The building itself is an interesting example of Victorian architecture with a large conservatory, bow-fronted upper windows and pinnacled roof. The Rothesay Museum has a mainly nautical theme, but also includes the British Typewriter Museum with over 300 typewriters dating back to 1864. The Big Four railway Museum has a large collection of railway memorabilia. The Casa Magni Shelley Museum is the only one in the world devoted to the life and works of the famous Romantic poet, housed in Shelley House where the poet's son lived from 1849-89. Another famous literary figure associated with Bournemouth is Robert Louis Stevenson. The town's salty, pine-scented air was advertised as a cure, or relief, for that scourge of Victorian England, tuberculosis, and for this reason Stevenson too arrived for the cure. He lived at Skerryvore, at the top of Alum Chine, from 1885-8 during which time he wrote ‘Kidnapped' and ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'; the house was destroyed in the 1939/45 War but there is a small memorial garden.