Car Hire Bournemouth and Car Rental Bournemouth

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Car Hire and Car Rental From Bournemouth

Take a walk down the pier and look back at Bournemouth. What do you see? A modern bustling seaside resort with a mixture of old and new buildings jutting up above the line of the cliffs and treetops; the gothic turrets sitting on the Royal Bath Hotel and the Russell Cotes museum, the art deco splendour of The Pavilion, the monolithic Bournemouth International Centre and the space-age silver waves of the new Imax cinema. It’s impossible to imagine that, less than 200 years ago, this whole area was uninhabited heathland stretching between Poole and Christchurch. At that time, both of these towns lacked the extensive suburbs which surround them today, merging the boundaries within what is now a vast built-up area. Back then, the mouth of the Bourne stream was the haunt of smugglers, gypsies and fishermen, even though the other South Coast resorts of Brighton and Weymouth had enjoyed the patronage of Royalty who first popularised the British seaside. Bournemouth could really be said to owe its existence to the Napoleonic Wars, which started in 1796. It was then that Captain Louis Tregonwell of the Dorset Yeomanry was made responsible for the defence of this stretch of coastline where the risk of enemy invasion had been mentioned by the Earl of Southampton back in 1575. Tregonwell and his wife came to love the mild and secluded spot and stayed at Bournemouth’s first inn, the year after it had been built in 1809. During this visit, which followed the death of their baby son on his christening day, Mrs Tregonwell suggested that they should build a house nearby, and this was completed in 1812. Friends and family were invited, and ‘Bourne’ quickly established itself as the place to be. The Tregonwells went on to build houses for holiday lets and, by 1842, the family owned much of the land on the west side of the stream. Meanwhile, the east side became the Gervis estate on which the Bath Hotel was built. Budding Bournemouth had around 28 houses at this time and a plank of wood acted as a bridge across the stream. A proper bridge was constructed in 1849 to carry the Christchurch-Poole road and the first shop opened, at the bottom of what is now Commercial Road, about two years later when the population numbered just under 700. From then on, development really began to take off and, following the Bournemouth Improvement Act, Bournemouth became a town in 1856. Other satellite communities were starting to spring up in the surrounding area as land was parceled up into estates. The West Cliff, East Cliff, Westbourne and Lansdowne developed slowly at first, but the arrival of the railway in 1870, the opening of Bournemouth West station (now the Queen’s Hall pub) four years later and Bournemouth East (now the main station) in 1885, allowed masses of trippers to visit. Hotels, shops, holiday homes and permanent dwellings mushroomed to cater for the demand and the suburbs of Boscombe, Southbourne and Winton were born. By the turn of the century, Bournemouth was well and truly on the map with around 60,000 inhabitants, a pier, trams, bathing machines and the imposing Mont Dore Hotel, which is now the Town Hall. So, what did this ‘new town’ of Bournemouth look like 100 years ago, at the beginning of 1900, when the gentlemen wore suits and bowler hats, and the fashion for ladies consisted of high-collared shirts and long skirts. Most notably The Square was full of horse-drawn omnibuses, quaint two and three-storey shops stood where Debenhams now dominates and an elegant tree-lined Richmond Hill boasted splendid villas. Down at the seafront, the pier had a Victorian splendour with its turreted entrance, but the Undercliff Drive had yet to be built. There were rowing boats and bathing huts pulled up on the beach and the slopes up to the cliffs on either side of the pier were lined with large, imposing hotels. Visitors arrived in their thousands by rail, the car was little more than a motorised pram in those days, and the pine trees, for which Bournemouth was famous, lined the elegant avenues, parks and gardens. Seaside pleasures were simpler and more relaxed than today. The popularity of walking to take the air created a legacy of parks and paths in the town centre gardens, along the overcliff and through the secluded chines. The bandstand was another top attraction, as were the Winter Gardens and shopping in the fashionable Gervis Arcade. Religion was also an important aspect of life and the citizens of any up-and-coming town needed to show their status by building impressive churches. Equally important at the turn of the century, was the construction of imposing commercial and public buildings, many of which survive today to decorate our townscape. And what is Bournemouth like today? Always seen as a great place to retire, the town still retains an elegant and relaxed atmosphere, but the relocation of large finance and insurance companies to Bournemouth has brought in a younger generation to live and work. In addition, the town has earned a reputation as a centre of excellence for English Language studies, hosting thousands of foreign students who bring a thoroughly cosmopolitan feel to both the town centre and the suburbs. And, with the rebirth of the Great British seaside there are, once again, increasing numbers of holiday makers and day trippers visiting Bournemouth. These changes have spurred both town centre and out-of-town developments to cater for the demands of the population and visitors. More recently, the Vistarama Balloon, Imax cinema and Bournemouth Oceanarium have been added to the list of attractions, but there has also been considerable retail development along with the opening of new pubs, clubs and leisure facilities. And, with a redesigned and refurbished Square, the image and focus of the town is set to change again, ensuring that it remains the best resort on the South Coast. And so, whether you’re a new visitor to Bournemouth or if you haven’t been here since your childhood, there’s plenty to do and see. For a town that had such humble beginnings, Bournemouth has come a long way since the Tregonwells first fell in love with the place where the Bourne runs into the sea. And you’ll love it, too.

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