Historically in Hampshire, but today in Dorset, it is located to the east of Bournemouth town centre and west of Southbourne.

Originally a sparsely inhabited area of heathland, from around 1865 Boscombe developed rapidly from a small village into a seaside resort alongside Bournemouth.

The nickname Bos Vegas[4] has gained popularity in recent years and occurs with slight spelling variation in the names of two Boscombe businesses.

[6] The area upon which Boscombe is situated, between the somewhat older village of Pokesdown and Bournemouth Square, was part of the great heathland which covered much of western Hampshire, and extended well into eastern Dorset.

[citation needed] At the beginning of the 19th century, Boscombe was described as an extensive common covered with furze and heath, more the haunt of smugglers than anyone else.

[citation needed] In 1801, a modestly-sized house called Boscombe Cottage was built as the residence of Mr Phillip Norris.

Sir Percy and his wife liked the place, and decided to make it their home, dividing their time between Boscombe and their London house at Chelsea.

There was a drive to the house from the main Christchurch Road, which followed the line of the present Chessel Avenue, and there was a lodge at its entrance.

Starting with a proposal by the Malmesbury Estate to develop the 'picturesque Village of Boscombe Spa' to make available building plots for the erection of marine villas to be let on long leases.

[10] The scheme was not implemented; instead about 19 acres (77,000 m2) of land was obtained by Sir Henry Drummond Wolff, on part of which he built a house for himself named Boscombe Towers, in 1868.

Wolff sought to develop 'Boscombe Spa' as a resort to rival Bournemouth and it was he who created the Boscombe Chine Gardens.

Much of the Shelley property in the area to the east of Sea Road was developed in the next ten years amounting to a further 70 plots.

Before her death in June 1899 Lady Shelley had gifted four acres of land which were laid out to form Boscombe Cliff Gardens.

Between the World Wars, Boscombe was one of Bournemouth's wealthiest areas with many large Victorian and Edwardian family houses.

In 1935, construction started on San Remo Towers, a block of 164 flats designed by Hector Hamilton in a Los Angeles Spanish style.

[16][17] Post-war there was a boom in the seaside holiday market, and Boscombe with its large number of smaller guest houses enjoyed this period of prosperity.

Boscombe saw an increase in social problems during this period with drug and alcohol dependency levels well above the national average.

Boscombe British school was established by Frederick Moser and Sir Percy Shelley, who laid the foundation stone at a site on Gladstone Road in 1878.

The school was built in a Neo-Gothic style and opened in 1879; the Christchurch Times reported that it was "to be one of the most ornamental as well as useful buildings in Boscombe.

The senior section of the school moved in 1940 to the newly built Boscombe Bilateral Secondary Modern (now King's Park Primary) on Ashley Road.

In 1960, local teacher Leslie Williams formed the Bournemouth Children's Theatre in the old school buildings, which later became the Drama Centre.

[23] After it was closed in 2007 and under threat of demolition, the Friends of the BCCA contacted English Heritage to help save the building; it was Grade II listed in 2008.

The southern end of the chine was laid out as pleasure gardens with a surface water stream as a picturesque feature.

The building at the pier end was initially reopened as the Mermaid Theatre and then a roller skating rink before becoming an amusement arcade.

New decking, lighting and central windbreak screen was added together with a new viewing and fishing platform end section, replacing the derelict Mermaid Amusement Hall.

[39] In 2014, a musical walkway was added to the pier, featuring 88 custom-made chimes that play ‘I Do Like To be Beside the Seaside’ when struck in the correct order.

Boscombe is part of the Bournemouth East parliamentary constituency, for elections to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.