Boscombe is a suburb of the much larger Bournemouth. Boscombe is by the sea and it has its own pier, which was built in 1888, with a unique aircraft-wings design added in the 1950s at the entrance which is a listed building.
In 1273 a reference is made to "Boscumbe" suggesting that the name may well have derived from the Old English words meaning a 'valley overgrown with spiky plants' perhaps a reference to gorse.
An important development in the establishment of Boscombe as a seaside resort was the building of the pier. A proposal for the pier was launched in 1884, when it felt that this would improve the attractiveness of Boscombe to visitors.
Tenders for the building of the pier were issued and in September 1888 the contract was awarded for £3,813, and for making the pier approach £938. The pier was 600 feet (180 m) long, and built in spans of 40 feet (12 m) each with a continuous wrought iron girder frame, which carried timber decking 32 feet (9.8 m) wide. The pier head was 120 feet (37 m) long and 38 feet (12 m) wide, with a landing stage on each side, at which excursion steamers could call. At the entrance were two toll houses with turnstiles. It was opened with considerable ceremony on 29 July 1889 by the Duke of Argyll.
During the decade from 1881 to 1891 Boscombe had grown apace, the population increasing from 1,895 to 6,324.
Further developments were made in the 1890s by Archibald Beckett who was responsible for the Salisbury Hotel (now Greens) in 1890, the Royal Arcade in 1892 and the Theatre (now The Opera House) in 1895.
In a brief span of about 35 years, 1866 - 1901, Boscombe had grown from a few cottages with a handful of people to an established seaside resort with a population in the 1901 census of 9,648.
In recent years, the area around Boscombe pier has undergone renovation. The derelict and unsafe building at the end of the pier has been demolished, and replaced by a simple viewing and fishing platform. The rest of the pier has been restored. Nearby, construction of Europe's first artificial surf reef is underway (2008), and restoration work continues on the Overstrand buildings.
Boscombe Chine, the ravine breaking through the sandy cliffs, comprised several small valleys draining the land around Boscombe. Several of these originated in Springbourne, but they all eventually confluenced near to Christchurch Road. The southern end of the chine was laid out as pleasure gardens with a surface water stream as a picturesque feature. Towards the foot of the Chine, near to Sea Road, a chalybeate spring was discovered, no doubt fed by the water draining into the chine. A small thatched hut was erected over the spring and was given the name Boscombe Spa. The water was sufficiently foul-tasting that people would make a special trip to drink the water for any health-giving properties that it may contain. On a small plateau overlooking the Chine and the spring, Sir Henry Drummond Wolff built a residential estate and gave that the name Boscombe Spa too.
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