Victorian Bournemouth (225) has explored wider social and symbolic factors associated with the resort’s chrysanthemum show. The society encouraged the idea that cultivating chrysanthemums, as well as fruit and vegetables, might engender moral improvement amongst the labouring sector of society. Horticulture offered additional support or, even, an alternative to Temperance, as a mechanism of social control.
Victorian Bournemouth (224) examined the resort’s Horticultural and Chrysanthemum Society, tracing its development and social impact. An annual Chrysanthemum Show provided the society’s focus. The society served as a networking hub for the privileged but also helped working people, or ‘cottagers,’ improve their lives by growing vegetables.
Victorian Bournemouth (223) studied the Springbourne and Malmesbury Park Ratepayers’ Association to examine the political and social identity among working people during the 1890s. The vocabulary used in their meetings indicates the presence of a strong, local culture. The members’ reaction to their exclusion from new secondary schools due to high fee levels suggests an interest in education as a means of advancement. During this period, local union organisers also focused more on education. Furthermore, in the year the Association was founded, Bournemouth experienced its first industrial strike.
Victorian Bournemouth (222) has examined the collective behaviour of the resort’s inhabitants. Beneath the infrastructure provided by the Corporation and the town’s economy, there flourished various forms of human activity. Future articles will provide a more comprehensive understanding by analysing individual groups and associations.