A Tour of Alum Chine
Alum Chine. We covered a brief history of Alum Chine yesterday. Today, we take a bit of a guided tour. Starting at West Overcliff Drive by St Ambrose Church, we head south. We soon come across our first access point, which would take us over one of the bridges. Noting this for now, we carry…
Alum Chine, Westbourne, Bournemouth
Alum Chine. Today is a brief look at one of the four chines in Bournemouth. Alum Chine is the biggest, the other three (from west to east) being Middle, Durley and Boscombe. There are also more chines heading west in Poole. A chine is a steep sided dry river valley. It also gives rise to…
Zetland Court, Alumhurst Road, Westbourne
Zetland Court, Alumhurst Road. Hiding behind a line of trees, Zetland Court is set back from Alumhurst Road in Westbourne a short distance from Alum Chine. Built in the 1840s by a Mr Charles A King, it was originally known as Branksome Dene. By 1880, it was owned by Lord & Lady Wimborne of Canford…
RL Stevenson Avenue, Westbourne, Bournemouth
RL Stevenson Avenue. Continuing along Seamoor Road, the next turning we come to is RL Stevenson Avenue. This runs down to Alum Chine Road, which it is parallel to for most of its length, before its neighbour takes a sharp turn to the west. Largely a residential road, there is still plenty of interest. Almost…
Alum Chine Road
Alum Chine Road Partway round the Seamoor Road loop, Alum Chine Road starts its somewhat tortuous route. At the northern end, it is fairly straight. There are some shops and businesses either side, including the library. Westbourne Library has just celebrated its 100th anniversary, and will be the subject of a separate article later. As…
Skerryvore – RL Stevenson
RL Stevenson & Skerryvore On Alum Chine Road, almost opposite the end of RL Stevenson Avenue, there is a vacant plot of land, with a small notice on it. The notice alludes to the fact that this was once the location of a house called “Skerryvore”. It also states that the author stayed here between…
Poole Road – North Side
Westbourne’s Poole Road (North Side). Having looked at the south side, we return to the former Royal Victoria Hospital, and continue along the north side of Poole Road. Almost immediately, we come across two retirement homes. Interestingly, they are in total contrast to each other. One is a very modern and attractive purpose-built facility, the…
Poole Road – South Side
Westbourne’s Poole Road (South Side). Heading west from Bournemouth, Poole Road starts from St Michael’s Roundabout, but it is not until the crossroads with Queen’s Road / Clarendon Road that it enters Westbourne. Immediately on our left, at No 17, is the former Royal Victoria Eye Hospital, which was closed in 2002 and converted into…
Loyalty & Rewards
Loyalty & Rewards for Shopping Locally. Today we take a break from the main shopping streets and look at a Loyalty Card Scheme that has recently arrived in Westbourne. One of the biggest problems that small and independent retailers perhaps suffer from nowadays is the way the larger stores use their cards to encourage you…
Seamoor Road – North Side
Westbourne’s Seamoor Road (North Side). Today, we are looking at the shops and businesses on the north side of Seamoor Road. Again, we shall start at the eastern end. As we approach the junction and turn left, our eyes are drawn to the mix of retail outlets before us. A gentle stroll along this side…