Bournemouth is first mentioned in 1406, when a monk discovered an 18 foot long fish washed up at “La Bournemowthe”.
In the middle of the 19th century there were still only 26 buildings, but thereafter Bournemouth grew rapidly, especially after the coming of the railway.
Bournemouth has strong ties with some of the Britain’s greatest authors, including J.R.R. Tolkien and Enid Blyton, while Robert Louis Stevenson wrote Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde here. Mary Shelley, the creator of ‘Frankenstein’ is buried in Bournemouth along with the heart of her husband Percy.
The Beatles loved Bournemouth and played more gigs here than anywhere else in the UK.