Introduction - On this page you will find links to details of property
for sale, rental accommodation, shared housing in Bournemouth. Bournemouth is
a typical English seaside town, situated on the South Coast in the County of
Dorset. It is just 6 miles from Poole and 30 miles from Southampton.
Bournemouth is easy to reach by a variety of transport methods. Ferries from
Europe come into Poole and from there it is a short taxi ride to Bournemouth.
The main ferry companies such as Condor and Brittany ferries serve Poole. By
train, there is a mainline train station in Bournemouth and an additional
station further to the East in Pokesdown. From Bournemouth there are direct
trains that take the traveller to London Waterloo in less than 2 hours.
Travelling through parts of the New Forest, and then up through Winchester and
Basingstoke the journey from Bournemouth to London Waterloo is quite a lovely
journey. By road Bournemouth is approached from the East by the M27 past
Southampton, and then on through Ringwood and Verwood by the A31. Bournemouth
has its own airport as well, that serves Europe very well with low cost budget
airlines travelling to parts of Spain, the Canaries and even Egypt.
Bournemouth Living -
Living in Bournemouth is now quite an
attractive proposition, as it was once well known for its greying more mature
population, with warden assisted flats and retirement developments. Now however,
it is seen as appealing to a much wider age range. Large Victorian houses in
tree lined roads leading in to Bournemouth are popular for families where
proximity to good schools is priority. The boys grammar school in Eastway, BH8
9PY being an example. The exclusivity of living down the road in Poole has
rubbed off on Bournemouth and people have moved to the area who cannot afford
the prices in Poole, so instead move to more affordable Bournemouth.
Apartment developments are also attracting young professionals to the area such
as the newer development in West Cliff. However if period features are important
to the buyer there are older Victorian houses that have been converted into
apartments some of which offer an elegant lifestyle, such as in the East Cliff
area. These conversions however do not come cheaply and a prospective purchaser
is still expected to part with close to £350,000 for a 2 or 3 bedroom apartment.
In the Coy Pond area overlooking the Bournemouth gardens, there are new
contemporary developments, that offer stylish living again however for a
substantial amount of money for square footage actually received.
History - The history of Bournemouth is interesting and varied. The area
was once a large heath land, where over 200 years ago, sailors most of them
not legitimate, came to the area bringing goods into the country unseen and
therefore untaxed. Like most English seaside towns Bournemouth has a pier,
which when it was first built was just wood. It was built in 1856, however due
to a number of problems in its early life, including pest infestation and
severe weather it was rebuilt and finally completed in 1877. It had a formal
Royal opening in the summer of 1880, and music was enjoyed by many with a
bandstand that stood there from 1885. This was not the end of the Pier story,
as it had to be destroyed during the War as a protection against foreign
invasion. Therefore after the War it was rebuilt again. During the subsequent
years, a theatre was added and because of the extra weight further development
was required. Although the Pier was part demolished to protect the town from
invasion during the War, Bournemouth was in fact not targeted, and not bombed
directly by the Germans. However there were bombs dropped on the town when
spare bombs were released by the Germans en-route to Coventry that was heavily
bombed in the War. Bournemouth started to be developed as a main southern
coastal resort in the 1800's with the building of the Westover Estate.
Additionally a church was built where locals could go to rather than having to
go to Poole. A major turning point for Bournemouth's fortunes was when a
doctor included a section about Bournemouth in his book in the 1800's which
was about spa towns and their associated health benefits. This was enough to
persuade rich visitors to travel to Bournemouth and so Bournemouth became
regularly frequented as a summer holiday destination.
Tourism and Entertainment – Bournemouth has 7 miles of sandy beach, which
is one of the best on the South Coast if not in England. The beaches in
Bournemouth in the summer are usually packed with holidaymakers, day trippers
and locals, all getting the most of the sunshine. Just a stones throw away
from the Beach is the Bournemouth Oceanarium, which kids and adults alike will
enjoy, especially on a cold and wet winter day, or summer day come to that.
For the most part, Bournemouth activities do centre around the Beach, the cafe
lifestyle, restaurants and hotels. Once a town known for its many mature
residents, and the coach trips made there for older people to engage in tea
dances and weekend trips to typical seaside hotels that were in need of some
much required facelifts, Bournemouth was not regarded as a trendy place to go
on holiday or visit for the weekend. Now there are many activities for
families with children, and when the weather is good, the Beach is great.
However there are also parks and attractions away from the Beach, in fact just
outside Bournemouth, near the airport is an amusement park with fun rides and
slides that is less expensive than some of its neighbouring amusement parks.
Kids can take part in tile making and face painting at numerous outlets in
Bournemouth, and stalls will set up offering craft activities very close to
the Beach, to catch visitors on their way to or from the main draw of
Bournemouth.
Bournemouth in recent years has become a popular
place to visit for hen and stag weekends, and as such some of the pubs and clubs
at night can become rather rowdy. For the young adult and teenagers, sport is a
great activity that can be enjoyed in and around Bournemouth, with most of the
larger hotels having their own gyms and fitness clubs. However for the more
adventurous climbing walls are sometimes set up in the gardens approaching the
Beach along with trampolines. In Bosmcombe, just outside Bournemouth a new
artificial surf area is being developed that will attract even more visitors.
With the 2012 Olympics being won by London, some of the water sport competitions
will be held on the South Coast in Weymouth, which is only a few miles from
Bournemouth and this will draw more sporting enthusiasts to Dorset including
Bournemouth.
