Christmas on The Coast

By Eleanor Fitzgibbon

Christmas is a time for celebration and community. In a seaside resort town like Bournemouth, one wouldn’t expect Christmas to be such a grand celebration, unlike the bustling scenes of hot summer days on the beach. Bournemouth does Christmas like no other English seaside town. It has been this way since the Victorian times! Take an interactive journey into how Bournemouth has evolved into the community it is today, and how Christmas is done right!

1800-1870

Lewis Tregonwell visited the area of ‘Bourne’ with his wife on holiday in the early 1800s, and fell in love with the area. They purchased  8 ½ acres of land and built a house and cottages for staff, therefore forming the beginnings of what is known today as Bournemouth. 

In 1937 Queen Victoria was crowned, and these times sparked a sudden settling of people in the area. Sir George Tapps-Gervis created a seaside resort in the area, hiring architect Ben Ferrey, and subsequently westover villas were built in the following years,

A Victorian Christmas was a family focused celebration. Prince Albert popularized Christmas trees brought over from his native Germany, with decorations and presents becoming a popular tradition. Most Victorian children were given modest gifts such as oranges and sweets, and more wealthy children that would’ve been found in the resort town of Bournemouth would expect the latest technology and new toys.

Bournemouth police was founded in 1856, with the local government being set up the same year, indicating the significance of the new town. By 1861 Bournemouth had a rapidly growing population of 1,707, becoming a fast, growing established seaside resort. 

1870-1900

In 1870 the railway network reached Bournemouth, providing means for ordinary, working class people to visit the originally wealthy recovery resort. By 1874 the Winter Gardens were built, providing an entertainment centre in Bournemouth. This held an ice rink, providing festive fun for visitors at Christmas. ‘Santa Claus’ was more widely celebrated in England after its introduction from America in the mid 1800s. 

By 1881 Victorian Bournemouth had grown to a population of 16,859. Beales department store was founded in 1881 by J.E.Beale, and four years later in 1885 Beales’ ‘Fancy Fair’ was thought to be the first department store in the country to have its own Santa, dressed in a costume made by J.E.Beales’ wife.

1900-1939

With the introduction of Beales, Bobby’s, Brights and the exponential growth of Bournemouth’s population, the Christmas period was a spectacular time of year in the resort town. An article titled ‘Christmas at the shops’ published by the Bournemouth daily echo in 1905 (founded in 1900) mentions key aspects that indicate the enormity of this event. It mentions ‘the housewife has no enviable task in estimating and catering beforehand for the appetites during three successive non-shopping days’. This shows the development in the event of Christmas from the Victorian era, with a larger celebration to cater for. Bournemouth department stores played a key part in these celebrations, with ‘tired shopkeepers’ catering to the growing population of Bournemouth. One issue of the Bournemouth Daily Echo, noted in 1911 the ‘ugliness and uselessness of up-to-date toys’, and that the town was transitioning from a genteel Victorian health resort, to a modern town attracting pleasure seekers of all classes. 

The tradition of the Beales Christmas parade was started by Cyril Beale in 1912. He was also the first Father Christmas to arrive anywhere by plane, arriving at the first parade by plane in Christchurch and transported by stagecoach to Bournemouth. The parade featured an array of floats, bands and dancers in Christmas theme, becoming a staple of the Bournemouth Christmas traditions for decades to come. 

1939-1965

With the outbreak of war in 1939 came a temporary halt in Christmas celebrations in Bournemouth and the suspension of the Christmas parade. In 1939 hundreds of children from neighboring cities like Southampton and Portsmouth were evacuated to Bournemouth with hopes of safety. Despite this, Bournemouth still suffered losses of over 200 civilians during the war.  

The Beales Christmas parade was a centerpiece to the Christmas celebrations of Bournemouth, creating a sense of community and joy for all who watched. Crowds would gather down the entire procession, with groups from the entire community and local areas taking place in the festivities. 

Shopping and department stores were a massive part of Christmas in Bournemouth, and many locals recall fond childhood memories of these stores in the Christmas period. One local Gillian, recalled fond experiences in an interview: ‘at christmas at the front of the shop they would have a kind of backdrop with snow scenes and Father Christmas and you would go there and have your photo taken on this log with Father Christmas like probably how you would do in maybe Harrods’, she adds ‘it was quite a grand shop’ ‘probably the poshest shop in Bournemouth at the time’. Beales was a key part in the community experience of Christmas in this period. 

The last Beales parade was in 1965, and many blame financial and tax factors for this demise. The Bournemouth Daily Echo reported on August 30th 1966 ‘the tax that axed Father Christmas’, blaming the recent introduction of the selective employment tax for why the parade could not continue. 

1965-2020

The latter half of the 20th century saw a decline in the highstreet, particularly with the eventual closure of Beales department store in 2020. Despite this, Christmas celebrations in Bournemouth continued to evolve and develop after the closure of the Beales procession in 1965. 

Castlepoint shopping center opened its doors in 2003, bringing a new element of Christmas shopping experiences to Bournemouth. Since the end of the parade events such as light installations, the Christmas market, Christmas tree forests, and food stands have been key parts of the festivities in Bournemouth. 

Sources used and further reading

Bailey, Stephen, Caitlin, Marsh. “How We Spent Christmas in Bournemouth in 1911.” Bournemouth Daily Echo, December 29, 2011. 

“Christmas at the Shops.” Bournemouth Daily Echo, September 19, 1905. 

Hurst, Clive. Beale’s Fancy Fair, Bournemouth . 2017. Flickr.

Lambert, Tim. “A History of Bournemouth .” A History of Bournemouth. Accessed 2021.

Slade, Darren. “When the Beales Christmas Parades Brought Bournemouth to a Standstill.” Bournemouth Daily Echo, December 18, 2016. 

“The History of Bournemouth Gardens .” The History of Bournemouth Gardens. Accessed January 12, 2021.

Verdaguer, Dawn. Christmas Bournemouth . 2017. Flickr.

“Victorian Christmas.” Royal Museums Greenwich, December 20, 2019.

“WWII Bournemouth .” WWII Bournemouth. Accessed January 12, 2021.

Websites on related topics

Official Bournemouth tourism website https://www.bournemouth.co.uk/whats-on/festivals/christmas-in-bournemouth

The History of Christmas https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/christmas/the-history-of-christmas/