A Short History of Bournemouth

Bournemouth’s history goes back just over two hundred years. These days it is a large town of just over 160,000 people.

The first house was built in 1820 by a man named Tregonwell. Tregonwell and his wife visited a beach in the area and his wife was so taken by its beauty that she persuaded him to build a house there. At the time the land was heathland with grazing cattle.

It was another couple of decades before Bournemouth’s growth really began to flourish. Britain’s relatively recent love for the seaside was instrumental in Bournemouth’s beginnings, and much of its success since. In the late 1700’s and early 1800’s visiting the seaside became a popular pastime amongst Britons and resorts began to appear throughout the country, including south-coastal resorts such as Brighton and Eastbourne. In 1836 a man named George Tapps-Gervis decided he wanted to turn Bournemouth into a seaside resort. He was in a good position to develop the area as he was the son of a local land owner. Tapps-Gervis built family villas that were hired out for summer holidays. This led to more people buying land and building in the area. The still existent Bath Hotel was amongst the buildings built during this period; it first opened in 1838. By 1840 Bournemouth was officially a village.

Throughout the rest of the nineteenth century Bournemouth grew at a rapid rate. The stagecoach which travelled from Southampton to Weymouth began to call at Bournemouth, which was key in increasing tourism. The railway line to Bournemouth, which was built in 1870, was also important.

Bournemouth pier is still a recognisable part of the town, and the first pier was built in 1861. This was a wooden structure and was replaced by an iron pier in 1880. By this time the population was 16,000, but this more than doubled over the next ten years to 37,000.

It wasn’t just Bournemouth itself that was growing, but villages in close proximity. With the growth of these villages as well as Bournemouth, they soon came together and officially became part of the town. The border of the town continued to grow and the population was almost 60,000 by the turn of the century. Trams were installed in 1901 and were used for the next three decades before being replaced by trolley busses.

Two buildings that are still popular to this day where built in the 1920’s, the Russell Cotes museum, and the Pavilion. These were built in 1922 and 1929 respectively.

Like many towns and cities in Britain, Bournemouth was impacted by the Second World War. It wasn’t expected to be and children were evacuated to Bournemouth from the nearby cities of Southampton and Portsmouth. Unfortunately though, the town was bombed and 219 people were killed.

Initially Bournemouth was part of the county of Hampshire but became part of Dorset in 1972.

Today Bournemouth is a thriving town. Its population is now just over 160,000 and it is particularly popular during the summertime, when thousands of holiday makers make their way to the seaside resort.

Andrew Marshall ©

Solicitors Bournemouth


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