Introduction Christmas, 1856, at Bournemouth drew press attention because of the Sanatorium’s monster tree. Eight years earlier, the Illustrated London News had depicted the Royal Family standing around their Christmas tree. This festive practice, a part of German tradition, gained popularity in the British Isles. A tree at Bournemouth would have suited its image as […]
Introduction Documentary sources under-reported the economic, cultural, and social contributions made by working people at early Victorian Bournemouth. The nature of these documentary sources’ control and usage explains a reason for this omission. Documentary sources Overview To date fifty posts have appeared on this site, that together provide insights on Bournemouth’s history between the 1830s […]
Introduction Conflicts divided several local interest groups as they competed to control early-Victorian Bournemouth’s structure and identity. In several cases, these conflicts became public confrontations, often fought out in the press. This made a sharp contrast to the settlement’s otherwise glittering media image as a tourist resort. Internal initiatives, however, created the basis for social […]
Introduction Local servants, from Poole, Christchurch, and the Greater Westover villages, worked at different domestic duties in the early Victorian Bournemouth local economy. Servants found in the larger vacation villas appear to have accompanied their employers. People local to the area, however, appear to have provided service to retailers, professionals, some lodging-houses, and the hotels. […]
Introduction Servants’ fortunes varied after their working stint at Bournemouth (1851), where data can track them. For some, record linkage enables partial reconstruction of their later life-stages. This analysis studies the later lives of found servants working in the row of sixteen holiday buildings known as Westover Villas. It explores how people comprising this important […]
Introduction Education in Bournemouth and the neighbouring hamlets, during the early period, took different forms, reflecting social variation across the area. Reverend A. M. Bennett applied his organisational talents and drive to establishing National Schools in both town and country. Towards the end of this period, however, some private schools and colleges appeared. Genealogical exploration […]
Introduction Rural shopkeepers trading in Victorian Bournemouth’s hinterland appear to have chosen different survival strategies as the resort town grew bigger. They may have competed with the town’s suppliers for a while, but their opportunity disappeared longer term. In the early Victorian period, their numbers remained level, perhaps sustained in part by the burgeoning resort. […]
Introduction Grocers and bakers made migrant stops at early Victorian Bournemouth, but a couple stayed to form a long standing engagement with the resort. The jobs involved different skills – baking and retailing – but they seemed to overlap on occasion. The varying longevity of these traders offers clues to the nature of early Bournemouth’s […]
Introduction Auction advertisements for house contents, published in local newspapers, provide glimpses into the lifestyle enjoyed by early Victorian Bournemouth’s affluent residents. Analysis suggests that the resort’s early retail trade included affluent as well as middling people. Research method A common historical process Using artefacts to learn about lifestyles and social positions characterises most historical […]
Introduction The Sanatorium, opened in 1855, represented a watershed in early Victorian Bournemouth’s positive national reputation. Once mooted, the project engaged the attention and efforts of the great and good, both local and in London. The Sanatorium arrives in Bournemouth Main steps London’s Royal Brompton Hospital decided to establish a branch sanatorium at a south-coast […]