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83-725: Bournemouth Town Hall , also known as the Civic Centre and formerly the Mont Dore Hotel , is a municipal facility in Bourne Avenue, Bournemouth , England. The town hall, which is the meeting place of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council , is a Grade II listed building . The town hall stands opposite Bournemouth Gardens and the Bournemouth War Memorial and is adjacent to St. Andrew's Church, Richmond Hill . The site had once formed part of

166-427: A municipal borough in 1890 and a county borough in 1900. As Bournemouth's growth increased in the early 20th century, the town centre spawned theatres, cafés, two art deco cinemas, and more hotels. Bournemouth Corporation Tramways was established in 1902, becoming the town's first public transport system. In 1908, a deadly tram crash in the town gardens killed 7 people. Other new buildings constructed included

249-607: A 10,000-person poll conducted by the Channel 4 programme Demolition , and was pulled down in spring 2013. The site is now used as an outdoor event arena. The council has recently completed a larger redevelopment of the site and adjoining council land. In 2010, Bournemouth celebrated its bicentenary. In 2012 Bournemouth was unsuccessful in its bid for city status , losing out to Chelmsford , Essex in competition with 26 other towns to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II 's Diamond Jubilee . Bournemouth sought city status once again for

332-481: A 36-hectare (89-acre; 0.14 sq mi; 0.36 km ) site, much of which is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest . This heathland habitat is home to all six species of native reptile, the Dartford warbler and some important flora such as sundew and bog asphodel . Small populations of Exmoor pony and Shetland cattle help to maintain the area. Bournemouth is directly north of Old Harry Rocks ,

415-525: A boarding use known as The Glen. The site was then acquired by Dr Alfred Meadow who had ambitions to establish a spa hotel offering treatment for tuberculosis , bronchitis , asthma and nervous and rheumatic paralysis on a similar basis to the treatment used at the thermal spring at Mont-Dore in France. The foundation stone for the new building was laid by King Oscar II of Sweden and Norway , whose consort Queen Sophia had developed an interest in

498-400: A favourite location for visiting artists and writers. The town was improved greatly during this period through the efforts of Sir Merton Russell-Cotes , the town's mayor and a local philanthropist, who helped to establish the town's first library and museum. The Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum was housed in his mansion, and after his death, it was given to the town. Bournemouth became

581-548: A large selection of bars, clubs, and cafés. North of the centre there is an out-of-town shopping complex called Castlepoint. The 41-acre (17 ha) site has 40 units and was the largest shopping centre in the UK when it opened it 2003. Other major shopping areas are situated in the districts of Westbourne and Boscombe. Bournemouth is a tourist and regional centre for leisure, entertainment, culture and recreation. Local author and former mayor, Keith Rawlings, suggests that Bournemouth has

664-524: A large wooded area known as "Bruce's Wood" named after the early 19th century owner of the land, Patrick Craufurd Bruce MP, who also planted vast forests in Berkshire , Gloucestershire , Oxfordshire and Hampshire . It was acquired by a solicitor, George Durrant, who renamed it the Branksome Estate, in the 1850s. Durrant started selling parts of the estate and the site was initially used for

747-469: A melancholia, which resulted in the Tregonwells holidaying at Mudeford , near Christchurch , Hampshire , to recuperate. During their holiday they visited ‘Bourne’ which they found so delightful that they bought land there in 1810. They subsequently built a house on the site, precipitating the growth of what became Bournemouth. More than 200 years earlier, Tregonwell’s direct ancestor, Henry Hastings,

830-523: A narrow peninsula that forms the southern shore of Christchurch Harbour . It is a local nature reserve and the site of a Bronze Age settlement. Like all of the UK, Bournemouth has a temperate oceanic climate with moderate variation in annual and daily temperatures, mild summers, and cool winters. From 1991 to 2020 the annual mean temperature was 10 to 11 °C (50 to 52 °F). The warmest months are July and August, which have an average temperature range of 12 to 22 °C (54 to 72 °F), while

913-483: A place Mr T has bought and talks of building on called Bourn. It is very barren but [has] a pretty sea view. They slept in the new house for the first time on 24 April 1812. The house survives to this day as a wing of the Royal Exeter Hotel . Tregonwell built a cottage for his butler, Symes. Originally called Symes' Cottage, it was later renamed Portman Lodge, after Henrietta's maiden name. This building

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996-401: A plot to extort money from Supermarket giant Tesco . Visitors to the town plummeted during the campaign, especially after a bomb exploded at an elderly woman's home after she opened a letter sent by the bomber. During the eight months, over seven bombs were found by Dorset Police , ranging from small letter bombs, to pipe bombs and parcel bombs. The culprit was found to be Robert Edward Dyer, he

1079-596: A portrait of Captain Lewis Tregonwell of the Dorset Yeomanry by Thomas Beach and a portrait of the former mayor, Sir Merton Russell-Cotes , and his wife, Lady Annie Russell-Cotes, by Frank Richards. Bournemouth Bournemouth ( / ˈ b ɔːr n m ə θ / BORN -məth ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in

1162-445: A result which accounts for 15% of all employment in the town. Bournemouth seafront is one of the UK's biggest attractions with 4.5 million visitors in 2011. RNLI lifeguards provide seasonal coverage of Bournemouth's beaches. With a third of all town centre businesses in the leisure industry, Bournemouth has a booming nightlife economy and is a popular destination for stag and hen parties. These party-goers contribute £125 million

1245-455: A small 100-foot (30 m) jetty. The Bournemouth Improvement Act of 1856 granted greater financial autonomy to the town and a pier was approved that year. A number of wooden structures were built before an 838 feet (255 m) cast iron design by Eugenius Birch was completed in 1880. Under the Act, a board of 13 Commissioners was established to build and organise the expanding infrastructure of

1328-411: A substantial increase in people moving into the area, has led to a sharp rise in the resident population since 2001. Of the total population, 3.3% are 85 or over, compared to 2.2% nationally; however the largest group of people moving into the area are students in the 16-24-year age group, and 9% of the current population are between 20 and 24. In England this age group accounts for only 7%. According to

1411-527: A thriving youth culture due to its large university population and many language school students. In recent years, Bournemouth has become a popular nightlife destination with UK visitors and many clubs, bars and restaurants are located within the town centre. In a 2007 survey by First Direct , Bournemouth was found to be the happiest place in the UK, with 82% of people questioned saying they were happy with their lives. Major venues for concerts include BIC , Pavilion Theatre and O2 Academy . Built in 1984,

1494-536: A town hall, it was re-opened by the mayor, Councillor Charles Henry Cartwright, in 1921. An additional wing containing a dedicated council chamber, which projected forward and featured a bowed front, was built to the left of the main building in 1930. Queen Elizabeth II , accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh , visited the town hall in July 1966. In the 1980s a bunker was constructed under the building to protect civic leaders in

1577-589: A trapdoor. The Symes clan of Cranborne, Verwood and Sixpenny Handley had long been involved in smuggling, and the butler never appeared to travel with Tregonwell, so it is possible that he looked after his master's smuggling activities while he was away. There is documentary evidence, mostly in private diaries, for instance those of the Earl of Malmesbury , that the gentry colluded in smuggling activities; Tregonwell's smuggling connections, however, remain entirely speculative. Underground rooms were often used as ice-houses, as

1660-575: A venue for the municipal orchestra. It continues to provide traditional entertainment today, presenting West End stage shows, ballet and operas. The Palace Court Theatre opened in 1931, was later used as a Christian centre, and has recently been bought and reopened as a theatre by Arts University Bournemouth. Bournemouth has more than 200 listed buildings, mainly from the Victorian and Edwardian eras, including three grade I churches; St Peter's , St Clement's and St Stephen's. The Russell-Cotes Museum

1743-407: A wreath on Tregonwell's tomb. When Portman Lodge was demolished in 1930, suspicions were raised that Tregonwell or Symes were involved in some way with smuggling. A secret chamber was found 3 ft (0.91 m) below the ground surface, with an arched roof 6 ft (1.8 m) above the floor. It was 10 ft (3.0 m) in length and 7 ft (2.1 m) in width, and was accessible through

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1826-513: A year to the economy and support 4,000 jobs. In 2010 the town was awarded a Purple Flag for providing a wide variety of night-time activities while maintaining the safety of both residents and visitors. An independent report published in 2012 indicates there has been a rise in antisocial behaviour which it attributes to the increase in nightlife. Those of working age make up approximately 65% of Bournemouth's population and of these, 74.6% are economically active although not necessarily employed within

1909-506: Is a Grade II* listed , villa completed in 1901. It houses artefacts and paintings collected by the Victorian philanthropist Merton Russell-Cotes and his wife during their extensive travels around the world. The four art galleries display paintings by William Powell Frith , Edwin Landseer , Edwin Long , William Orchardson , Arthur Hughes , Albert Moore and Dante Gabriel Rossetti . It

1992-550: Is based at the Civic Centre (formerly known as Bournemouth Town Hall) on Bourne Avenue in Bournemouth. The area that is now Bournemouth was historically mostly within the ancient parish of Christchurch in Hampshire. A chapel of ease was established at Holdenhurst to serve the west of the parish, and the chapelry of Holdenhurst subsequently came to be treated as a separate civil parish from medieval times. When

2075-399: Is both a retail and commercial centre. Areas within Bournemouth include: Boscombe , Kinson , Southbourne , Springbourne , Throop , Westbourne , Winton and Pokesdown . The area's geology has little variety, comprising almost entirely of Eocene clays which, prior to urbanisation, supported a heathland environment. Patches of the original heath still remain, notably Turbary Common,

2158-470: Is held by 13.9% of residents. An apprenticeship has been completed by 6.3% of the population while 16.9% have some other work-related or vocational qualification and 8.3% hold a foreign qualification. Historically Bournemouth has suffered from negative rates of natural increase and has relied on immigration to maintain population growth. In 2007 however, births exceeded deaths for the first time, and this trend has continued through to 2011. This, coupled with

2241-408: Is predominantly based in neighbouring Poole, but still employed 2% of the workforce in 2010 and 2.6% in 2011. Notable employers in this sector include Escor Toys and Parvalux . Tourism is also important to the local economy. In 2011, domestic and overseas visitors made more than 5.6 million trips to the town and spent over £460 million between them. The equivalent of 8,531 full-time jobs exist as

2324-572: The Christchurch cartulary of 1406, where a monk describes how a large fish ("uni magno piscis"), 18 feet (5.5 metres) long, was washed up at "La Bournemothe" in October of that year and taken to the Manor of Wick ; six days later, a portion of the fish was collected by a canon from Christchurch Priory and taken away as tithe . "La Bournemowthe", however, was purely a geographic reference to

2407-564: The Napoleonic Wars . The eastern part of Dorset was under the command of Henry Bankes of Kingston Lacy ; Bankes divided his area into several smaller parcels, and allocated officers to each area. Tregonwell was matched with the easternmost region, which took him up to the Liberty of Westover (now the site of Bournemouth). The rangers’ duty was to keep watch for smugglers, particularly along the cliff-tops, where Chines (wide fissures in

2490-636: The Platinum Jubilee Civic Honours in 2022 but was unsuccessful. On 13 March 2022, 21-year-old Thomas Roberts was stabbed to death in Bournemouth Town Centre by Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai in a high-profile murder case. On 31 May 2023, two people died and eight others were injured in an incident at Bournemouth beach . There is one tier of local government covering Bournemouth, at unitary authority level: Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council , which

2573-479: The South East Dorset conurbation should be in the same county. Bournemouth's borough status was transferred to the new district, allowing the council to take the name Bournemouth Borough Council and giving the chair of the council the title of mayor, continuing Bournemouth's series of mayors dating back to 1890. On 1 April 1997, Bournemouth Borough Council became a unitary authority , taking over

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2656-602: The ceremonial county of Dorset , England. The 2021 census built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest town in Dorset. Previously an uninhabited and rarely-visited heathland , other than by occasional fishermen and smugglers, a health resort was founded in the area by Lewis Tregonwell in 1810. After the Ringwood, Christchurch and Bournemouth Railway opened in 1870, it grew into an important resort town which attracts over five million visitors annually with

2739-551: The war memorial in 1921 and the Bournemouth Pavilion , the town's concert hall and grand theatre, finished in 1925. The Bournemouth Blitz saw heavy damage to the town during the Second World War despite initially escaping heavy bombing. A raid by German fighter bombers on 23 May 1943 killed 131 people and damaged 3,359 buildings, with two large hotels being completely destroyed. It is believed that

2822-542: The BCP councillors representing wards in the former borough of Bournemouth. The trustees preserve the town's civic charters and traditions, including appointing one of their number each year to serve as mayor. Bournemouth is represented by two parliamentary constituencies in the House of Commons; Bournemouth East and Bournemouth West . In the 2024 general election , the former was gained for Labour by Tom Hayes with 40.8% of

2905-589: The BIC is also a popular place for party political conferences and has been used by all three major political parties. Its four auditoria make it the largest venue on the south coast. The O2 and Pavilion are older and are both Grade II listed buildings . The O2, which opened in 1895 as the Grand Pavilion Theatre, was initially used as a circus and later for music hall theatre. The Pavilion opened in 1929 as concert hall and tea room while also providing

2988-904: The Bournemouth area. Industry in Bournemouth employed more than 76,400 people in 2011 but not all of these were Bournemouth residents. Of those employed in Bournemouth based industries, 29.32% were employed in the public administration, education and health sector. This compares favourably with Dorset, the South-West region, and the country as a whole, as do the other large sectors; distribution, hotels & restaurants (29.06%), and banking, finance and insurance (24.48%). 37.2% of Bournemouth's resident population are employed full-time while 13.3% are employed part-time. An additional 7.1% full-time workers are self-employed, 3.1% are self-employed part-time. Full-time students with jobs account for 5.3% and 3.8% are unemployed. The shopping streets are mostly pedestrianised with modern shopping malls, Victorian arcades and

3071-556: The Centre for Cities in 2016, Bournemouth's population had the third highest average age among 63 large towns and cities in the UK, at 42.8 years. Similarly to the rest of Dorset, Bournemouth's economy is primarily in the service sector , which employed 95% of the workforce in 2010. This was 10% higher than the average employment in the service sector for Great Britain and 11% higher than the South West . Of particular importance are

3154-509: The Invalids' Walk, remain in the town today. A second suggestion of Granville's, a sanatorium, was completed in 1855 and greatly raised Bournemouth's profile as a place for recuperation. At a time when the most convenient way to arrive in the town was by sea, a pier was considered to be a necessity. The Holdenhurst parish vestry was reluctant to find the money, and an attempt to raise funds privately in 1847 had only succeeded in financing

3237-466: The Manor of Christchurch . Although the Dorset and Hampshire region surrounding it had been the site of human settlement for thousands of years, Westover was largely a remote and barren heathland before 1800. In 1574 the Earl of Southampton noted that the area was "Devoid of all habitation", and as late as 1795 the Duke of Rutland recorded that "... on this barren and uncultivated heath there

3320-471: The River Stour, Stour Valley Way , Millhams Mead and Stour Valley nature reserves and arboretum, Hengistbury Head , and the small communities of Throop and Holdenhurst. Turbary Park is a heathland which is a protected Site of Special Scientific Interest . The 2011 census records the population of Bournemouth as 183,491, comprising 91,386 males and 92,105 females, which equates to 49.8% and 50.2% of

3403-493: The Tapps Arms public house was built on the heath. A few years later, in 1812, the first official residents, retired army officer Lewis Tregonwell and his wife, moved into their new home built on land purchased from Tapps. The area was well known to Tregonwell who, during the Napoleonic Wars , spent much of his time searching the heath and coastline for French invaders and smugglers. Anticipating that people would come to

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3486-648: The area before the 19th century were a few fishermen, turf cutters and gangs of smugglers . Prior to the Christchurch Inclosures Act 1802 , more than 70% of the Westover area was common land . The act, together with the Inclosure Commissioners' Award of 1805, transferred 5,000 acres (2,000 ha) into the hands of five private owners, including James Harris, 1st Earl of Malmesbury , and Sir George Ivison Tapps . In 1809

3569-484: The area had started to develop. A travel guide published in 1831 calls the place "Bourne Cliffe" or "Tregonwell's Bourne" after its founder. The Spas of England , published ten years later, calls it simply "Bourne" as does an 1838 edition of the Hampshire Advertiser . In the late 19th century "Bournemouth" became predominant, although its two-word form appears to have remained in use up until at least

3652-417: The area to indulge in the newly fashionable pastime of sea-bathing , an activity with perceived health benefits, Tregonwell built a series of villas on his land between 1816 and 1822, which he hoped to let out. The common belief that pine-scented air was good for lung conditions, and in particular tuberculosis , prompted Tregonwell and Tapps to plant hundreds of pine trees . These early attempts to promote

3735-414: The beach, and the mines at the foot of the chines , took two years to remove when peace was finally achieved. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution stationed an inshore lifeboat at Bournemouth between 1965 and 1972. Coverage for the area has otherwise been provided from Poole Lifeboat Station . The Bournemouth International Centre (BIC), a large conference and exhibition centre, was constructed near

3818-535: The borough council bought the former Mont Dore Hotel on Bourne Avenue, which had been completed in 1885, and converted into the Town Hall. The county borough of Bournemouth was reconstituted as a non-metropolitan district in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 . The district kept the same boundaries, but was transferred from Hampshire to Dorset, it being considered desirable that the whole of

3901-461: The borough in 1932, was the site of a much older Palaeolithic encampment. During the latter half of the 16th century James Blount, 6th Baron Mountjoy , began mining for alum in the area, and at one time part of the heath was used for hunting, although by the late 18th century little evidence of either event remained. No-one lived at the mouth of the Bourne river and the only regular visitors to

3984-707: The coolest months are January and February, which have an average temperature range of 2 to 9 °C (36 to 48 °F). Average rainfall in Bournemouth is around 34.4 inches (875 mm) annually, well below the national average of 45.8 inches (1,163 mm). It records both higher and lower temperatures than would be expected for its coastal location. Since 1960, temperature extremes as measured at Bournemouth Hurn Airport have ranged from 34.1 °C (93.4 °F) in August 1990, down to −13.4 °C (7.9 °F) in January 1963. The lowest temperature recorded in recent years

4067-530: The current unitary authority also covers Poole , Christchurch and adjoining land. The town centre has notable Victorian architecture . St Peter's Church has a 202-foot (62 m) spire and is one of three Grade I listed churches in the borough. The town also has both an events venue and a concert hall, the Bournemouth International Centre (BIC) and Pavilion Theatre respectively. The first mention of Bournemouth comes in

4150-401: The development of Bournemouth began in 1810, the site straddled the parishes of Holdenhurst and Christchurch. An ecclesiastical parish of Bournemouth was created in 1845, but for civil purposes the town continued to straddle the parishes of Holdenhurst and Christchurch. A body of improvement commissioners was established in 1856 to provide local government services in the town. Bournemouth

4233-631: The early 20th century, turning up on a 1909 ordnance map. The Coat of arms of Bournemouth was first granted on 24 March 1891. In the 12th century the region around the mouth of the River Bourne was part of the Hundred of Holdenhurst . The hundred later became the Liberty of Westover when it was extended to include the settlements of North Ashley, Muscliff , Muccleshell, Throop , Iford , Pokesdown , Tuckton and Wick , and incorporated into

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4316-477: The easternmost end of the Jurassic Coast , 96 miles (155 km) of coastline designated a World Heritage Site in 2001. Bournemouth's own coastline stretches from Sandbanks to Christchurch Harbour and comprises mainly sandy beaches backed by gravel and sandy clay cliffs. These cliffs are cut by a number of chines which provide natural access to the shore. At the easternmost point lies Hengistbury Head,

4399-580: The eccentric Dorset sportsman (son of George Hastings, 4th Earl of Huntingdon ), had briefly controlled the land that his great-great-great grandson bought, when he was lord of the manor of Christchurch from 1597 until 1601. Hastings’ youngest daughter Dorothy married Thomas Tregonwell. By 1796, Tregonwell was Captain of the Dorset Rangers and led cliff-top patrols of the Dorset Yeomanry in the area of Bourne Heath between 1796 and 1802 during

4482-405: The event of a nuclear attack . The town hall continued to serve as the headquarters of Bournemouth Borough Council and then continued to operate as the local seat of government after the formation of the new unitary authority , Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council , on 1 April 2019. The new council renamed the building the "BCP Council Civic Centre". Works of art in the town hall include

4565-458: The financial and public service sectors which through 2011 continued to show sustained growth. Compared to the rest of the country, Bournemouth performed well in these two areas but under performed in transport and communications. The smallest geographical region for which gross value added information is available is the NUTS3 area, Bournemouth and Poole. The latest figures, as of 2012 , are for

4648-524: The identity of outlying communities, and preserve nearby countryside. This is achieved by restricting inappropriate development within the designated areas, and imposing stricter conditions on permitted building. Bournemouth has small areas of green belt within its district to the north and east, mostly along the fringes of the shared border with the Christchurch and East Dorset districts. These cover landscape features and greenfield facilities including

4731-467: The large number of RAF airmen billeted in the town may have been the reason for the attack. The seafront incurred damage when it was fortified against invasion . The cast iron lampposts and benches along the front were removed and melted down for munitions, as was much of the superstructure from both Bournemouth and Boscombe piers before they were breached to prevent their use by enemy ships. The large amounts of barbed wire and anti-tank obstacles along

4814-602: The medicinal use of seawater and the pine-scented air, helped the town to grow and establish itself as an early tourist destination. In the 1840s Benjamin Ferrey was replaced by Decimus Burton , whose plans for Bournemouth included the construction of Bournemouth Gardens alongside the Bourne stream , an idea first mooted by Granville. The fields south of the road crossing (later Bournemouth Square ) were drained and laid out with shrubberies and walks. Many of these paths, including

4897-613: The population respectively. The mean average age of all persons is 40 years. With 4,000 residents per square kilometre, Bournemouth has the highest population density of any authority in the South-West region, and is the eighth most populated. Much of the population, 83.8%, describe their ethnicity as ' White British ' while other white groups account for a further 8.1%. Asian groups; Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Chinese and other Asian, make up 3.9%. Black British , Black African, Black Caribbean and other Black groups form 1.0% of

4980-423: The population while 15.2% have a level 2 NVQ, a City and Guilds craft certificate, BTEC or general diploma. Just over 20% of residents had two or more A-levels, four or more AS-Levels or an advanced diploma while 15.8% possessed a degree, such as a BA or BSc or a higher degree such as an MA or PhD. An NVQ level 4 or 5, HNC , HND , higher BTEC or higher diploma , is held by 4.2% and a professional qualification

5063-720: The population, Those who are Mixed race make up 2.3% of the population, and 0.9% are from other ethnic groups. Christians made up 57.1% of the population but 30% of residents said they had no religion and 7.8% declined to say whether they were religious or not. Muslims were 1.8%, Buddhists, Hindus and Jews each had a 0.7% share, Sikhs were 0.1%. and other religions made up 0.7%. Of all Bournemouth residents aged 16 or over, 19.1% had no qualifications at all, although 35% said they had between one and four O-levels , CSEs , GCSEs or equivalent, and 36.5% have more than five O-level equivalents (grade C and above), an A-level or two to three AS-levels. Those with an NVQ level 1 comprise 8.0% of

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5146-497: The provision of county council functions from Dorset County Council . As from April 2019, the nine councils of Dorset were merged into two and Bournemouth became part of a unitary authority with Christchurch and Poole (known as BCP). For the purposes of the Lieutenancy it remains part of the ceremonial county of Dorset. Since the abolition of Bournemouth Borough Council in 2019, Bournemouth has had charter trustees , being

5229-568: The seafront in 1984, and in the following year Bournemouth became the first town in the United Kingdom to introduce and use CCTV cameras for public street-based surveillance. In 1993, the IRA orchestrated a terrorist attack in the town centre . The only injuries sustained were minor ones but over £1 million in damage was caused. From 2000 to 2001 the Tesco bomb campaign hit the town with

5312-569: The soft cliffs) allowed potentially easy access for smugglers and French invaders. Tregonwell was also a Justice of the Peace and Deputy Lieutenant for the county of Dorset. After the Battle of Trafalgar the threat of invasion by the French lessened and so in 1810 he felt that he was able to retire from the service. In 1810, the Tregonwells decided to build a house near Bourne Heath to live in over

5395-578: The summer months, their main residence remaining Cranborne Lodge. Tregonwell was able to buy 8.5 acres (34,000 m ) of what is now Bournemouth town centre for just £179 11s (£179.55) from Sir George Ivison Tapps , the Lord of the Manor of Christchurch . On 4 July 1810, Tregonwell and his wife took their friends, the Grove family, on a visit to Bourne Mouth. We all walked on the sands. The Tregonwells are here and very kind to us. We went after dinner to see

5478-432: The town as a health resort meant that by the time Tregonwell died in 1832, Bournemouth had grown into a small community with a scattering of houses, villas and cottages. The town would ultimately grow up around the scattered pines and tree-lined walk to the beach, later to become known as the Invalids' Walk. After the death of Tapps in 1835, his son Sir George William Tapps-Gervis inherited his father's estate. He hired

5561-463: The town's beaches and popular nightlife. It now has a financial sector that is worth more than £1 billion in gross value added . Part of Hampshire since before the Domesday Book , it was assigned to Dorset under the Local Government Act 1972 in 1974. Bournemouth Borough Council became a unitary authority in 1997 and was replaced by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council in 2019;

5644-403: The town's share of the market remained modest. In 1841 Tapps-Gervis invited the physician and writer Augustus Granville to stay. Granville was the author of The Spas of England , which described health resorts around the country, and as a result of his visit, he included a chapter on Bournemouth in the second edition of his book. The publication of the book, and the increase in visitors seeking

5727-479: The town, such as paving, sewers, drainage, street lighting and street cleaning. The arrival of the railways in 1870 precipitated a massive growth in seaside and summer visitors to the town, especially from the Midlands and London. In 1880 the town had a population of 17,000, but by 1900, when railway connections to Bournemouth were at their most developed, the town's population had risen to 60,000 and it had become

5810-539: The treatment, on 26 May 1881. It was designed by Alfred Bedborough in the French , Italianate and Neoclassical styles and opened as the Mont Dore Hotel in 1885. The design involved a long, curved main frontage of 25 bays facing the corner of Bourne Avenue and Braidley Road; the entrance section, which slightly projected forward, featured a portico with a broken segmental pediment containing an oculus ; there

5893-444: The uninhabited area around the mouth of the small river which, in turn, drained the heathland between the towns of Poole and Christchurch. The word bourne , meaning a small stream, is a derivative of burna , old English for a brook. From the latter half of the 16th century "Bourne Mouth" seems to be preferred, being recorded as such in surveys and reports of the period, but this appears to have been shortened to "Bourne" after

5976-447: The vote, while the latter was also gained for Labour by Jessica Toale with 36.4%. However, the seats had previously both been considered Conservative safe seats. In 2022, both of the towns Conservative MPs , Conor Burns and Tobias Ellwood had the whip withdrawn forcing them to sit as Independents . Bournemouth is about 94 miles (151 km) southwest of London. The town borders the neighbouring towns of Poole and Christchurch to

6059-558: The west and east respectively. Poole Bay lies to the south. The River Stour forms a natural boundary to the north and east, terminating at Christchurch Harbour ; while the River Bourne rises in Poole and flows through the middle of Bournemouth town centre, into the English Channel. The towns of Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch form the South East Dorset conurbation with a combined population of over 400,000. Bournemouth

6142-788: The year 2009 which showed that the Bournemouth and Poole area enjoyed the strongest annualised growth in the South-West region. In 2009 the South West Regional Accounts showed that the Financial Services sector in Bournemouth was worth £1,031.8 million in Gross Value Added . Important employers in this sector include JPMorgan , Nationwide Building Society , and the Liverpool Victoria , Tata Consultancy Services (formerly Unisys), and RIAS insurance companies. The manufacturing sector

6225-543: The young local architect Benjamin Ferrey to develop Bournemouth Gardens along the coastal area on the east side of the stream. Bournemouth's first hotel, later to become part of the Royal Bath Hotel , opened in 1838 and is one of the few buildings designed by Ferrey still standing and operating. Bournemouth grew at a faster rate as Tapps-Gervis began developing the area similarly to the south coast resorts of Weymouth and Brighton . Despite enormous investment,

6308-495: Was Russell-Cotes who successfully campaigned to have a promenade built; it runs continuously along the Bournemouth and Poole shoreline. Lewis Tregonwell Born in 1758 in Anderson, Dorset , Tregonwell lived at Cranborne Lodge where he was the squire. His second wife was Henrietta Portman. When Henrietta’s second child, Grosvenor Tregonwell, died, having been accidentally given a double dose of medicine, Henrietta sank into

6391-567: Was a balcony with a triple sash window on the first floor, triple sash windows on the second and third floors and a pediment above; there was a belvedere with turrets and a pavilion roof above that. The building became a hospital for British Indian Army soldiers during the First World War . The efforts of the hospital to raise money for the construction of the Admiralty M-class destroyer HMS  Phoebe in 1916

6474-584: Was badly damaged in a fire in 1922 and demolished in 1930. In 1832, Tregonwell died at the age of 73 and was buried in Anderson, but in 1843 his widow had his remains transferred to a vault in St Peter's Churchyard at Bournemouth. For many years Tregonwell was revered as 'The Founder' (of Bournemouth ) the Mayor of Bournemouth would attend an annual Founder's Service at Saint Peter's, during which he would lay

6557-519: Was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1890. In 1900 it was elevated to the status of a county borough , making it independent from Hampshire County Council , whilst remaining part of the geographical county of Hampshire. The borough boundaries were enlarged on several occasions, notably in 1901 when it absorbed Pokesdown , Southbourne and Winton , and in 1931 when it absorbed Holdenhurst and Kinson (the latter being transferred from Dorset to Hampshire on its absorption into Bournemouth). In 1921

6640-460: Was not a human to direct us". There were some prehistoric settlements in the area, notably along the River Stour, including Longham where a skull thought to be 5,500 years old was found in 1932. Bronze Age burials near Moordown , and the discovery of Iron Age pottery on the East Cliff in 1969, suggest there may have been settlements there during that period. Hengistbury Head , added to

6723-520: Was sentenced to 12 years in prison. The Waterfront complex , which was intended to hold an IMAX cinema, was constructed on the seafront in 1998. The 19-metre-high (62-foot) concrete and smoked glass building featured a wavy roof design, but was despised by residents and visitors alike because it blocked views of the bay and the Isle of Purbeck . In 2005 it was voted the most hated building in England in

6806-667: Was subsequently commemorated by the HMS Phoebe Room in the building and its contribution to the Anglo-Russian Hospital in Petrograd was subsequently commemorated by the presentation of a flag from the Russian Empire on 31 July 1917. The building became a convalescent home for officers later in 1917 and was then acquired by Bournemouth Borough Council in 1919 and, after it had been converted into

6889-527: Was −10.4 °C (13.3 °F) in December 2010. The February and winter month record high was broken in 2019, with a temperature of 17.8 °C (64.0 °F). Bournemouth lies at the centre of a green belt region that extends into the wider surrounding counties. It is in place to reduce urban sprawl , prevent the towns in the South East Dorset conurbation from further convergence, protect

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