History of Bournemouth and its neighbourhood for the period 1836-1856.
Introduction Working people formed a parallel settlement to the resort they had built for affluent visitors at early Victorian Bournemouth. Although the press concentrated on marketing the site to higher types, occasional reports show a range of attitudes towards improving the quality of working people’s lives. Apartheid Out of sight In 1843 Scrooge suggested exiling […]
Introduction Early Bournemouth’s meat demand in particular helped revive Christchurch’s commercial health. For most of Bournemouth’s early period much of the meat consumed there may have come from farming and butcher families active in Christchurch’s hinterland. Family networks, based in Christchurch, but in some cases their links reaching into Dorset, appeared to maintain control of […]
Introduction Changes in building format used during early Bournemouth’s property development suggest visitor types altered. At the initial stages, the built environment took the shape of large, Italianate villas. Single households, including large service retinues would take each building. Later, building designs appeared to encompass smaller properties, while subdivision allowed several parties, without apparent relationship, […]
Introduction In 1937, a book appeared entitled Shanghai, The Paradise of Adventurers. The book depended on but also supported the town’s association as a place that attracted roguish characters. The book observed how the word ‘adventurer’ had acquired a fresh meaning. ‘Adventurer is pictured to us as an expert exploiter, a clever trickster, a cunning […]
Introduction Two rural kinship networks, detected amongst the dairymen working in Stour valley villages, may offer insights into the societies in which they lived. The terrain and the people Settlements in rural Greater Westover ‘Milk, butter, and farm-house supplies of the very best description, the valley of the Stour abundantly yields.’ Dr A.B. Granville included […]
Introduction Rural poverty affected Greater Westover as it did other parts of the country during the early Victorian period. The defined area of ‘Greater Westover’ consisted of villages lying just to the west of the Stour river as well as the fledgling settlement at Bournemouth. Most of these villages fell within the orbit of the […]
Introduction The career of Bournemouth’s media entrepreneur John Sydenham illustrates how commercial and social success might result from marketing the written word. His main business established at Poole, the new resort, nearby at Bourne Mouth, attracted his attention. He lost little time in establishing a presence at the affluent colony. The press reported his opening […]
Introduction Little opposition prevented the Reverend A. M. Bennett from achieving early success at expanding the size of Bournemouth’s St Peter’s church. Later attempts to extend an ecclesiastic presence within the resort’s social fabric did not have such a smooth run. Zeal for the Lord Energetic support for the church building Reverend Bennett, taking up […]
Introduction The well-connected Alexander Morden Bennett’s social position would have matched well with the affluent visitors who came to early Victorian Bournemouth. This position, combining marriage connections with political associations, provided him with good social capital during his long career as Bournemouth’s perpetual curate. A.M. Bennett comes to Bournemouth Bournemouth’s early church building loses momentum […]
Introduction In the early Victorian period shops described as fancy repositories might sell a very wide range of merchandise, offered for the most part to middle-class women and above. The goods covered the expressive arts and crafts, personal items, stationery and trinkets. Business owners included both genders, people having a wide social background as well […]