Early History

There is not much to say about the area that Bournemouth currently occupies before 1800. Although there were castles and stately homes in the region, the actual area where the town would soon be built was not much more than remote land. The name comes from Bourne Mouth – the mouth of the Bourne stream, which was nowhere to live, but just somewhere for fisherman or turf cutters to gather, or more often than not smugglers to land with their stolen loot.

In 1802 the area ceased to be common land, meaning that no longer could anybody could use it, and came under private ownership as part of the Christchurch Enclosure Act. So the land came up for sale and was mostly bought by two men, William Dean of Littledown House and Sir George Ivison Tapps, the Lord of the Manor of Christchurch. Sir George planted thousands of pine tress, which would later prove to be part of the town’s development as a tourist destination as it was the perceived medicinal qualities of the trees alongside sea air which drew people to the area.

A retired army officer Lewis Tregonwell visited the area in 1810 and was so impressed by the beauty of the area he bought several acres and built a home for himself and his wife. He cleared a few of the pines to make way for paths to the sea. A few more houses and cottages sprung up around the area and thought it was not so big as of yet, it was the beginning of the town which would some become a thriving tourist resort.

Growth and development

In 1835, Sir George Ivison Tapps died and his son who inherited his estate started to develop the resort along the lines of similar south coasts towns which he had visited and admired. With this in mind he employed a local architect Benjamin Ferrey to plan and design a number of villas, hotels and estates. Many of the hotels are still in use today.

Soon after the fist church was built in the then village, converted from two cottages, with a pointed turret was added to the roof. This was all that was needed in a town with a very small population; however the town was soon to undergo a rapid change. The physician Augustus Bozzi Granville visited the village and included Bournemouth in his book 'The Spas of England' recommending it as the perfect place for the sick that were in need of natural healing.

The rich soon started to flood to the town with all manner of ailments, but especially chest problems, as it was believed the fresh air could breathe new life into one’s lungs. As the century went on the British Parliament recognised the need for Bournemouth to have some governance, and the gradual improvements which the residents demanded started to take shape: sewers, paving, street lights etc. These improvements were also aimed at the growing tourist business which the town’s leaders realised was vital for the continued growth.

The building of the Pier and Pleasure Gardens helped to bring even more tourists into the area. The town continued to develop along with the construction of the railways and the popular idea of visiting the seaside for holidays. In 1880, the town only had a population of 17,000 people but by 1900 this had risen to 60,000.

The 20th Century to the Present Day

The area around the town played an important part in World War Two, as nearby Poole provided the departure points for much of the D-Day landings and practice beaches for the invasion. Luckily for the town is was mostly spared from German bombings as it was not a target, although it was hit by accident on a number of occasions.

Like many British seaside towns, the post war period was tough as tourism formally concentrated in the town went abroad, where the weather was better and accommodation cheaper. However despite this the town still continued to grow in terms of population. It became a very popular place to retire to, as the good sea air was still in demand amongst the elderly. It was once christened “God’s waiting room.” However the town should not just been scene as a retirement town, there are plenty of young people helped by the town’s University, surfing culture and growing nightlife. Moreover much business is starting to flow to the city, mostly concentrated round finance.