[1] The crest (above the shield) consists of four English roses surmounted by a pine tree.

The motto (below the shield) is Pulchritudo et Salubritas, Latin for "beauty and health".

The colours of the shield, the main part of the coat of arms, are taken from the royal arms of King Edward the Confessor, in whose royal estate the area now known as Bournemouth was situated.

The four salmon represent those to be found in the River Stour, which marks the boundary between Christchurch and Bournemouth.

[2] The roses in the arms are emblems both of England and of Hampshire, which Bournemouth historically belonged to.