Bournemouth, a municipal borough and a much frequented watering-place in the parishes of Christchurch and Holdenhurst, Hants. It has two stations, East and West Bournemouth, on the L. & S.W.R., 107 miles from London. The town has increased rapidly, and contains many beautiful mansions and villas; it is much recommended by medical men for invalids on account of its mild and genial atmosphere, and for its extensive pine woods, for which this district is justly celebrated. The medicinal properties thrown off by the pine trees are invaluable to those suffering from pulmonary disorders. The water supply is obtained from the neighbourhood of Longham, Dorset, and is of the purest quality. The pier, opened in 1880, is of iron, with pitch-pine floor, and contains handsome and sheltered seats, with central bandstand; there is a landing-stage for steamers and boats; the total cost was £23,000. The harbour of Poole is entered from the Great Bay, west of the Isle of Wight, and is subdivided into the Christchurch, Hengistbury, and Poole Bays, Bournemouth being situated at the centre of the latter bay. The Church of St Peter was originally a mere seaside village church, but it has been so much enlarged and improved from time to time that very little of the original building remains, and it now stands a very fine structure in the Modem Gothic style. It contains some elaborate specimens of carving, also many mural paintings, and some beautiful frescoes designed by Mr. Bodley. The living is a vicarage with an endowment of £150 with residence. The Church of the Holy Trinity is a red brick building in the Lombardo Gothic style, erected in 1869; it was enlarged in 1877, and contains a very fine pulpit of alabaster and coloured marble. The living is a vicarage endowed with £150. The Church of St Clement is a stone edifice in the 14th century style, erected in 1872. The living is a vicarage; gross value, £283 with residence. The Church of St Michael is a stone building in the Early English style, erected in 1876. The living is a vicarage endowed with £150 yearly and residence. St Stephen's Church is a very fine structure, erected in 1885; the walls are of brick, faced outwards with Swanage stone, and internally with Bath ashlar work. His Royal Highness Prince Oscar of Sweden was married in this church on 17 March, 1888. The living is a vicarage endowed with £150 and residence. The Church of St Augustine, built partly of stone and red brick, was opened in 1892. There are two chapels of ease, viz.‹St Swithin's and St Ambrose. The Catholic Oratory of the Sacred Heart is a stone edifice in the Gothic style, erected in 1875. There are Congregational, Baptist, and Wesleyan chapels, a meeting-house for the Society of Friends, and a Unitarian chapel, which was erected in 1891. The Royal Victoria Hospital was erected as a memorial of the jubilee of Her Majesty's reign; it is a stone building containing 36 beds. The National Sanatorium for Consumption and Diseases of the Chest is a splendid stone building; lighted throughout with electric light, and contains 62 beds; this institution was opened in 1855, and cost about £15,000. The Firs Home for patients in advanced consumption is an admirable institution, and most comfortable in every way. There are several convalescent homes. The Hotel Mont Doré is situated on an eminence near the centre of the town. Adjoining the hotel is a large bath, containing Turkish and other baths, and a very beautiful winter garden has been added. There are about eight other first-class hotels, a considerable number of very fine boarding-houses, two clubs, a public library, a Young Men's Christian Association Institute, and one for young women, three public halls, a theatre, a school of art, a coastguard station, and four banks, while four newspapers are published weekly. The Public Winter Gardens have been re-arranged. There is a large pavilion, where a band plays twice daily. The post office, erected in 1880 at a cost of nearly £3000, is a building of Bath stone in the Classic style. Bournemouth was created a municipal borough in 1890. Acreage, 2415 ; population, 37,781. There is a park, covering 129 acres, in immediate proximity to the town.
