Bournemouth

The House Beautiful

Does anybody remember the big house on the corner of Derby Road, it was at the junction of a main road, the name of which I cannot remember now. We used to call it 'The House Beautiful' whether that was the proper name for it I never knew. This house was where children used to go to for a holiday, my holiday there was arranged by our church at that time (we lived in London), my parents could not afford holidays in those days so mine was arranged by our church. It was a big place large beautiful gardens and all the children were looked after by nurses. At meal times we all went to the big dining room and I ...read more here
Contributed by Ted George

Family Holidays

My dad always ensured that we had a "fortnight's"  family holiday each year. A fortnight was 2 weeks - ie fourteen nights. These holidays started in 1949, when I was seven  and continued to up to 1958 when I was 16. In 1949 and 1950 we went to Bournemouth.

We stayed at the same guest house for each of the two years. It was in Portland Road, Bournemouth. The detached house was of 1930's design. The guest house was run by a Mr & Mrs Fox. Mrs Fox scared me. She was a stout woman in her fifties and had grey hair pulled back into a bun. Up close you could see hairs growing out of some large warts on ...read more here
Contributed by Roy Beiley

Summer of 64

In June 1964 a group of us Belfast grammar school boys crossed the sea to Liverpool and took the long coach journey south to spend the school summer vacation working in the Bournemouth beach cafes.
Three of us shared a bedroom at Pat and Alvin's, a short bus ride from the town centre. Our "digs" cost just £1.10s a week each, out of a wage of £5 at the beach cafes. The cafe provided lunch and in the evening we dined at the Golden Griddle in the Square. We all smoked in those days and were able to buy clothes out of our pay packets:the fashions that summer were bell-bottom jeans, pink shirts and grey ...read more here
Contributed by John McMillan

Family connections to 'The Baths'

The Baths was the family home during the First World War. My great grandfather was Albert Henry Milledge, formerly a schoolmaster at a school in St Michael's loft of Christchurch Priory, who gave up teaching to help Alfred Roberts manage 'Roberts' Baths' which were then just private baths, after William Roberts, his father, died. The Roberts were formerly coal merchants. My great grandfather was responsible for building the original swimming bath opened in 1887. My other maternal great grandfather was Henry Newlyn, of Newlyn's Hotel which subsequently became the Exeter, and former mayor of Bournemouth.
Contributed by Ms BM Bell

Speculation

My brother and I think this maybe a photo of our Grandfather and our Great Uncle followed by our Grandmother and our Great Aunts (the two gentlemen with dark jackets and light trousers, one carrying a stick or brolly).
Contributed by Raymond GARFIELD

My Family

The photo is similar to one in my personal collection. The two gentlemen in the forefront of the picture are my Grandfather & my Great Uncle, two of the ladies behind them are my Great Aunts, the other became my Grandmother.
Contributed by Raymond GARFIELD