Introduction Town upgrade plans at early Victorian Bournemouth resulted in an angry public meeting held late in 1856. The first Improvement Commissioners had announced a new rating assessment in order to fund the building programme. An early instance of the resort’s community action saw ratepayers formulate their response. The meeting’s press report highlighted both the […]
Introduction Wealthy tourists populated early Victorian Bournemouth’s Westover Villas during 1851. A trade directory for 1849 observed that only a ‘few poor fishermen’ had dwelt on the Bournemouth site. Now ‘aristocracy’ frequented it to a great deal. In July 1838, the Dorset County Chronicle talked about ‘this picturesque and beautiful spot, already the residence of […]
Introduction A cricket team emerged in the settlement during the summer of 1852. It perhaps reflected an embryonic sense of Bournemouth’s cultural identity, but it may have had more to do with the settlement’s commerce. A curate’s egg of a season Beginnings At the end of May 1852 newspapers reported the appearance of a cricket […]
Introduction A man of all people, Dr E. V. Mainwaring featured often in early Victorian Bournemouth’s press clippings as a physician and community member. Until his early death, E. V. Mainwaring had made a broad contribution to Bournemouth’s social and cultural development by having a foot in two camps: society doctor for wealthy vacationers, promoter […]
Introduction Healthcare for early Victorian Bournemouth’s invalids and convalescents began with its excellent climate, but other assistance came from medics, bathing and visiting quacks. Several of the larger households recorded in 1851 contained nurses amongst other servants. Medics, resident and transient, offered professional healthcare Three doctors In addition to providing healthcare to invalids and other […]