In the Southwest of England, there is a region called Dorsetshire or Dorset County in which there is the borough of Bournemouth. A coastal city going by the same name is the largest town there. This resort town is found between Southampton and Plymouth. In the Northeast lies the settlement of Ferndown while Wimborne is to the Northwest. To the east, the town of Bournemouth borders that of Christchurch.
This town plays host to millions of tourists from all over the world every year, chiefly between the months of July and September when the temperatures are warmest.
The town was founded in the year 1810 by a man called Lewis Tregonwell. However, it only became a recognized town in 1870. In the 60 intervening years, it grew but arrival of the railway in 1870 is the one factor to which the town’s rapid growth afterwards is attributable. This development ushered in an era of mass summer visits by Londoners and folk from the midlands.
The Central gardens dubbed ‘pleasure gardens’ is a public park in the town which runs for several Kilometers along the river Bourne and winds up by gently descending all the way to the seafront. The area has seven kilometers of sandy beaches and its seafront overlooks the Poole bay and the Isle of Wight.
The town has an estimated 170,000 inhabitants. Historically, it was a retirement town but that has changed in recent years due to a variety of factors.
The area hosts uniquely attractive chines (steep river valleys) where various streams descend into the sea. This is a common feature of the Bournemouth coast. The streets have been made very pedestrian friendly while the shopping malls are located just behind the sea front along the banks of the river hence they receive the pleasant sea breeze.
The Bournemouth center is a popular destination for business tourists with its conference facilities. To the east of the Central gardens there is the Russell-Cotes museum which is a favourite of art lovers. It is named after the man who founded it in his mansion and subsequently donated it to the town upon his demise. It contains many paintings from the 19th Century.
Every august, the town hosts an air festival which runs for four days. All sorts of aircraft are featured and the event attracts over a million tourists. Moreover, the ‘Bournemouth Eye’ is a famous landmark of the town. It is a spherical helium balloon with a gondola for passengers and it runs along a steel cable. It rises to 190 metres to give an aerial view of the region. This is in addition to the long sandy beaches and the sort of waters that are a surfer’s paradise.
The Pavilion Theatre stages many plays and attracts many theatre goers. In addition, the town has all sorts of restaurants, from English to Italian and Asian. Indian, Mexican, French and many other eateries are also available. Moreover, there is a myriad of fast food places, pizzerias and bars, some with unique traditions.
Thus Bournemouth is an exciting place to visit or vacation.
