The area around Bournemouth Gardens was granted permission by the owners in 1859 to incorporate a public pleasure ground.

[2] Discussions for a fixed entertainment venue took place during the 1880s, and as part of the 1892 Bournemouth Improvement Act, the council were granted £20,000 for constructing a pavilion in the gardens, which could accommodate a municipal orchestra.

These plans were continually blocked by local residents who felt that licensed premises for drinking were immoral.

[3] By the 1920s, the orchestra felt that the Bournemouth Winter Gardens was no longer a suitable venue and requested a more accommodating hall be built.

[9] In 2019, Lenny Henry complained that a historical photograph in the pavilion's dressing room, showing actors in blackface, was outdated, racist and offensive.