Bournemouth hotels and self catering cottage accommodation in Bournemouth

Dorset » Bournemouth accommodation

An ideal base from which to visit the famous Jurassic Coast, New Forest and Stonehenge, Bournemouth has been a tourist destination for decades. It was a senior officer, Lewis Tregonwell, who first saw the place’s potential as a resort, in the 19th century. With him, what was just a small inn got its first pine tree plantation, now a local landmark. By mid-century, a pier and pleasure gardens had already been built, and the Victorian crowd started visiting.

The local orchestra found a place in which to play with the 1875 building of the Winter Gardens, where Holst, Sibelius and Elgar, among others, have played. In the 1930s, the auditorium was rebuilt to improve the originally awful acoustics. Nowadays, while the local symphony orchestra still plays, the building is no longer used.

In the town centre, an interesting variety of Art Deco buildings contrasts nicely with the imposing Church of St Peter, of Victorian style. There's also some good shopping to be had on St Peter's Walk near the seafront and pier.

As Bournemouth became more popular, the Prince of Wales, who'd later become Edward VII, had a Tudor style house built here for Lillie Langtry, his mistress. It's now a partially restored hotel.
Featuring a nice display of 16th and 17th century paint, the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum also contains some bizarre artefacts from abroad.

There's also a very popular parade of classic cars, every Sunday along the main boulevard, and a blues, folk and jazz music festival, every June. A recent addition to the many tourist excursions is the possibility of taking a hot air balloon ride along the golden beaches and countryside. Also available are numerous entertainment options, from theatres and cinemas to sport complexes and an aquarium - the town is also famed for having one of the highest concentration of bars outside London.