It borders the suburbs of Whitton and Castle Hill to the east and the villages of Bramford and Sproughton to the west.
Whitehouse is a large estate occupying the northern part of the suburb.
It is named after the West Bourne, a former stream and tributary of the River Gipping that ran east through the north of the suburb then south alongside Westbourne Road.
[1] The former stream bed can still be seen on the eastern perimeter of the Bramford Lane Allotments and its waters can be heard flowing beneath the manhole covers on the site.
The Suffolk Punch is a public house in the area, a notable 'Tolly Folly',[2] styled on the Tollemache stately home, Helmingham Hall.