Bournemouth: The Good Old Days

by Rodney Legg

Born in Bournemouth, as was his father a century ago, Dorset historian Rodney Legg is ideally placed to return to his roots to present memories of the town. Focussing on Bournemouth's Edwardian heyday that faded away with the Great War, they carry on through the devastation of Second World War bombing to the era of postwar austerity and change.
The creation of the Undercliff Drive was soon followed by breaches by the sea and dramatic cliff falls as nature attempted to reinstate the status quo. The Pier story started the same way, with the original timber framework being replaced in iron by grand master of Victorian pier-building Eugenius Birch. Paddle-steamers returned for their swansong and similar sounds and smells disappeared when the railway service into Bournemouth Central ceased in 1967 - the last steam-hauled mainline in the land.
Inland, the spectacle of great events included the aviation meeting that claimed the life of Charles Stewart Rolls in 1910, the first fatality in Britain of powered flight. Crowds filled the Square for carnivals, to glimpse General William Booth of the Salvation Army, and to mark the death of King Edward VII.
It is all here, evocatively archived by father and son, Edward and Rodney Legg. Together they witnessed a century of change and accumulated a remarkable collection of pictures. Included in this volume are over 250 nostalgic photographs, many never reproduced before. Above all, this is a celebration of a much-loved seaside town that is so more than just a genteel resort: it is a strong community forged by a century of tumultuous change.

160 pages, Hardcover

First published March 24, 2005

About the author

Rodney Frank Legg was a campaigner, author and publisher, known for being chairman of the Open Spaces Society and for publishing numerous works on the history and landscape of Dorset, England.