[3] "La Bournemowthe", however, was purely a geographic reference to the uninhabited area around the mouth of the small river which, in turn, drained the heathland between the towns of Poole and Christchurch.

The hundred later became the Liberty of Westover when it was extended to include the settlements of North Ashley, Muscliff, Muccleshell, Throop, Iford, Pokesdown, Tuckton and Wick, and incorporated into the Manor of Christchurch.

[13] In 1574 the Earl of Southampton noted that the area was "Devoid of all habitation", and as late as 1795 the Duke of Rutland recorded that "... on this barren and uncultivated heath there was not a human to direct us".

The act, together with the Inclosure Commissioners' Award of 1805, transferred 5,000 acres (2,000 ha) into the hands of five private owners, including James Harris, 1st Earl of Malmesbury, and Sir George Ivison Tapps.

A few years later, in 1812, the first official residents, retired army officer Lewis Tregonwell and his wife, moved into their new home built on land purchased from Tapps.

[23] Anticipating that people would come to the area to indulge in the newly fashionable pastime of sea-bathing, an activity with perceived health benefits, Tregonwell built a series of villas on his land between 1816 and 1822, which he hoped to let out.

[24][25] The common belief that pine-scented air was good for lung conditions, and in particular tuberculosis, prompted Tregonwell and Tapps to plant hundreds of pine trees.

These early attempts to promote the town as a health resort meant that by the time Tregonwell died in 1832, Bournemouth had grown into a small community with a scattering of houses, villas and cottages.

Granville was the author of The Spas of England, which described health resorts around the country, and as a result of his visit, he included a chapter on Bournemouth in the second edition of his book.

[2] The publication of the book, and the increase in visitors seeking the medicinal use of seawater and the pine-scented air, helped the town to grow and establish itself as an early tourist destination.

[39] The cast iron lampposts and benches along the front were removed and melted down for munitions, as was much of the superstructure from both Bournemouth and Boscombe piers before they were breached to prevent their use by enemy ships.

[39] The large amounts of barbed wire and anti-tank obstacles along the beach, and the mines at the foot of the chines, took two years to remove when peace was finally achieved.

[45] The 19-metre-high (62-foot) concrete and smoked glass building featured a wavy roof design, but was despised by residents and visitors alike because it blocked views of the bay and the Isle of Purbeck.

[48] In 2012 Bournemouth was unsuccessful in its bid for city status, losing out to Chelmsford, Essex in competition with 26 other towns to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee.

[79] Bournemouth is directly north of Old Harry Rocks, the easternmost end of the Jurassic Coast, 96 miles (155 km) of coastline designated a World Heritage Site in 2001.

It is in place to reduce urban sprawl, prevent the towns in the South East Dorset conurbation from further convergence, protect the identity of outlying communities, and preserve nearby countryside.

Important employers in this sector include JPMorgan, Nationwide Building Society, and the Liverpool Victoria, Tata Consultancy Services (formerly Unisys), and RIAS insurance companies.

Local author and former mayor, Keith Rawlings, suggests that Bournemouth has a thriving youth culture due to its large university population and many language school students.

[137] The Lower, Central and Upper Gardens are Grade II* public parks, leading for several miles down the valley of the River Bourne through the centre of the town to the sea.

[150] This has featured displays from the Red Arrows as well as appearances from the Yakovlevs, Blades, Team Guinot Wing-Walkers, Battle of Britain Memorial Flight including Lancaster, Hurricane, Spitfire and also the last flying Vulcan.

The family plot in St Peter's churchyard also contains her parents William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft, and the heart of her husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley.

Designed by Alfred Bedborough in the French, Italian and neo-classical styles, the foundation stone was laid by King Oscar II of Sweden and Norway and the hotel opened in 1885.

Built in the Art Deco style in 1929, situated close to the seafront, the Pavilion Theatre was at the time considered to be the greatest ever municipal enterprise for the benefit of entertainment.

The club regularly competes in regattas organised by the Hants and Dorset Amateur Rowing Association, which take place on the south coast of England between May and September.

[208][209] Situated near the village of Hurn in Christchurch, Dorset, the airport is 4.5 miles (7.2 km) from Bournemouth town centre and serves around 600,000 passengers annually.

[231][232] Holy Trinity Church was built, at 161, Old Christchurch Road, in 1868-9 (tower added 1878) in Italian Romanesque style, designed by Cory & Ferguson of Carlisle; it was deconsecrated in 1973, and burnt down in 1979.

A number of actors came from Bournemouth, including Juliette Kaplan[247] from the BBC comedy Last of the Summer Wine, Ray Lonnen[248] from the series The Sandbaggers (1978–80), Alison Newman, actress who played Hazel Bailey[249] in Footballers' Wives and DI Samantha Keeble[250] in EastEnders.

Women's rights and temperance campaigner Emily Langton Massingberd (1847-1897) built and sometime lived in the Red House, now the Langtry Manor Hotel in Bournemouth.

[260][266] Colonel Edmond Cotter, a runner-up player for the Royal Engineers team in the inaugural 1872 FA Cup Final, and later in life an Irish Republican, died at Bournemouth in 1934.

Frederick Charles Riggs (1888–1918),[268] Cecil Noble (1891–1915),[269] and Lieutenant Colonel Derek Anthony Seagrim (1903–1943),[270][271] In addition five recipients of the VC died in Bournemouth - General Sir Reginald Hart (1848–1931), Royal Navy Staff-Surgeon William Job Maillard (1863–1903), Second-Lieutenant Alfred Oliver Pollard (1893–1960), Joseph John Davies (1889–1976) and James Welch (1889–1978).