Becoming a town in the Coronation year of Queen Victoria, Bournemouth is a truly Victorian Resort. Originally a place where a small stream flowed down a steep sided valley to the sea from the heathland above, Bournemouth grew from nothing to a thriving resort town durinjg the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and it is all thanks to Captain Tregonwell. He built a house for his family, and some cottages for servants, around what is now Bournemoutn Central Gardens.

As it grew, Bournemouth also became a one of the first examples of municipal planning. A circle, a mile in diameter, centred on Tregonwells original house, was delineated with only hotels, public buildings and shops allowed to be built within this area.