Bournemouth

Bournemouth didn't exist until someone decided that sea air cured tuberculosis. In 1810, Lewis Tregonwell built a summer residence on what was then uninhabited heathland—visited only by fishermen and smugglers. By 1841, the settlement had only 26 buildings. Then Augustus Granville, physician and author of The Spas of England, visited and wrote about the medicinal benefits of pine-scented air and seawater.

The railway's arrival in 1870 transformed everything. Bournemouth grew from 17,000 in 1880 to 60,000 by 1900 to 150,000 by 1990. The town industrialized leisure: promenades, pavilions, winter gardens. It marketed itself to the Victorian middle class seeking respite from industrial England's polluted cities.

The postwar decades brought decline as package holidays drew British tourists to Spain. Bournemouth adapted by targeting conferences, students, and eventually digital businesses—earning the nickname 'Silicon Beach' for its concentration of creative and tech companies. The seven-mile stretch of golden sand still draws visitors: over five million annually.

Bournemouth's economy runs 95% on services—10 percentage points above the national average. The university, founded from municipal education initiatives in the 19th century, now drives much of the local economy. The built-up area's population reached 196,455 at the 2021 census.

By 2026, Bournemouth tests whether a resort built on Victorian health tourism can sustain itself in an era of cheap flights and changing leisure patterns.