Victorian Bournemouth (207) shows how squabbling amongst respectable people hampered the workings of soup kitchens administering charity to the poor during harsh winters. Lives already made difficult through economic recession became worse when extreme weather occurred during the 1880s. Conflicting social agendas and territorial issues set respectable charitable people against each other making the provision of soup a political matter, leaving people in need to shiver and starve.
Victorian Bournemouth (205) examines how Joseph Cutler used a public dinner given in his favour as a platform for furthering his political career. A divisive civic figure, Cutler had his eye on the first borough elections, his dream the mayor’s regalia. The dinner eschewed politics for bolstering his public image. The resort’s power brokers declined their invitations. A splendid occasion failed in its apparent purpose, for, at next year’s elections, voters did not favour Joseph Cutler .
Victorian Bournemouth (186) continues studying the extent to which successful traders stepped into wider civic and community roles.