The Bournemouth X Factor, Bournemouth, England

The Bournemouth X Factor is not a reference to the television talent show but some characteristics of Bournemouth that make it a very special place to visit. As I was walking towards the crowded sea front that I could see in front of me I noticed a garden below me and decided to visit that first. At the bottom of a flight of stone steps I had a lovely view of the Town Hall bathed in autumn sunshine behind an avenue of majestic trees. The centre piece of these gardens is an impressive war memorial built between 1920 and 1922 to commemorate the fallen during the First World War. This was the first of several impressive gardens I discovered in Bournemouth. 

I had stumbled upon the Central Gardens , created during the Victorian era when the town of Bournemouth was established in an area of pine plantations and heathland. During this period horticulture became a priority expressed in the development of public pleasure gardens. The Bourne Valley, a linear bog through deserted heathland was developed into an impressive stretch of public pleasure gardens. I had arrived in the middle garden of the three that lie on either side of the Bourne River. Many of the trees and shrubs planted during the creation of these gardens can still be seen today. And the Town Hall also dates back to that period. This building was originally the Monte Dore Hotel opened in 1885. Water was pumped from the sea so hotel guests could have hot or cold salt water baths. It was used as a hospital during the First World War. In 1921 the council bought the building which it still uses as its Town Hall.  ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).