Area Guides

Bournemouth is a resort town of approximately 200,000 residents and is best known for its miles of sandy beaches and Victorian pier with its traditional amusements and theatre.

The town centre is located close to the seafront and runs either side of the pleasure gardens which follow the Bourne Stream to the seafront.

Around 1800 Bournemouth was mainly heathland and was mainly used for hunting by wealthy landowners but quickly developed into a resort and spa town as it was thought the pine trees and sea air aided health and recovery from illness.

During the late 1900s the town was developed further with railways, theatres and the new cast iron pier increasing visits to the town, and attracting famous artists and writers.

Much of today’s Bournemouth was developed from the 1920s onwards with the main suburbs and housing areas built during this time. Suburbs like Winton, Charminster, Ensbury Park, Southbourne, Littledown are home to much of the local population but all are within a 10 minute drive of the seafront and town centre.

Huge investment in the town centre area in recent years has seen leisure attractions like the BH2 cinema and restaurant complex built and the town is now home to large companies like JP Morgan, LV, Nationwide, and Vitality Healthcare.

Bournemouth is also well known for its local football team who against all odds reached the Premier League in 2015, with the stadium located in the Kings Park area of Bournemouth.

Adjacent to Bournemouth are the towns of Christchurch and Poole and there are main traffic routes and rail access to both. The A338 ‘Spur Road’ provides dual carriageway access to Ringwood, Southampton and ultimately London, meaning the area is now becoming popular with commuters and second home owners.

Bournemouth also has its own International airport located around 5 miles from the town centre with holiday destinations to Europe and beyond. In recent years the town has become famous for its Air Show brings thousands of people to the beaches for the free four day event.

Local Schools

Parents looking for a home in the Bournemouth area can expect a good standard of education from the majority of schools in the town with all needs and abilities catered for.

Further details can be found using the link below where you can enter the postcode of the area to find the local school.

http://www.poolefamilyinformationdirectory.com/kb5/poole/fis/results.action?familychannel=7-6&sr=10&nh=10

Postcodes

BH1, East Cliff and Springbourne

BH2, Town Centre

BH3, BH4, Talbot Woods and Westbourne

BH5, Pokesdown, Boscombe Spa, Boscombe Manor and parts of Southbourne

BH6, Southbourne

BH7, Boscombe East, Kings Park, Littledown,

BH8, BH9, Winton, Charminster, Muscliffe, Throop, Strouden Park, Townsend

BH10, BH11 Northbourne, Ensbury Park Kinson, East Howe, West Howe, Bearwood

Christchurch is located between the sandy beaches of Bournemouth on one side and the vast New Forest on the other. It has existed in some form since 650AD but was only known as Christchurch from the 1100s onwards when the Priory was built. Until then it was known as Twynham and stood at the crossing point of the Stour and Avon rivers – a name still used locally for its schools. The town has a rich history of smugglers, trading, boatbuilders, fishing and the military to name just a few.

A destination for holidaymakers and tourists, main attractions in the town include the beautiful Quay, Priory and the castle ruins, as well as the excellent shops and restaurants. The mild climate provides an alternative to foreign holidays for many people with the New Forest National Park and award winning seafront on its doorstep.

Over the years, the town has developed a reputation for being a destination for retirees and indeed has one of the oldest populations in the country. However, this is beginning to change with the popular local schools and excellent leisure facilities available to residents around the area.

Christchurch has a population of around 50,000 people with areas including St Catherines Hill, Jumpers, Burton, Highcliffe, Bransgore and Mudeford, all under the BH23 postcode.

The town is served by trains to Southampton on one side and Bournemouth on the other, has good access to the International Airport and good road access to Southampton and beyond.

Local Schools

The town has been long been known for its excellent schools and this has indeed ensured that family houses in the area are always popular. Twynham School is a popular catchment but the majority of schools in the Christchurch postcodes are good or outstanding meaning demand for places is high.

This website gives more information regarding local schools in the BH23 postcode area: link