Whatwe now know as central Bournemouth barely existed at the start of the 19th century.

When retired army officer Lewis Tregonwell visited in 1810, he found only a bridge crossing a small stream at the head of an unspoilt valley. An inn had recently been built at what is now the Square, catering both for travellers and for the smugglers who lurked in the area at night.

Captain Tregonwell and his wife were so impressed by the area that they bought several acres and built a home, which is today part of the Royal Exeter Hotel. Tregonwell also planted the first of its pine trees, providing a sheltered walk to the beach. The town was to grow up around its scattered pines.

Bournemouth quickly became a destination for affluent holiday-makers and for invalids in search of the sea air.

In the 1860s, meadows either side of the Bourne stream were turned into the town's pleasure gardens. The immaculately tended gardens are still much-loved and the Central Gardens contain the town's impressive war memorial, guarded by four lions.

A pier was built in 1861, to be replaced in 1880 by the present structure.

A large sanatorium, overlooking the gardens, treated patients with chest diseases. It has recently been re-developed as Brompton Court, a complex of retirement homes, preserving its remarkable chapel.

Next to the sanatorium was built the magnificent Mont Dore Hotel, which is now Bournemouth's opulent Town Hall.

In the hotel's heyday in the 1880s it was renowned nationally and internationally for its sumptuous luxury which included possessing one of the first telephones in England - the number was "3".

Although the number of invalids sent to the town dropped in the late 19th century, the resort was still booming and its population increasing rapidly.

One of Bournemouth's most prominent Victorians, Sir Merton Russell-Cotes, successfully campaigned to have a promenade built.

Sir Merton, who built the Bath Hotel, also donated his art collection to the town, while his wife donated their home, East Cliff Hall - now known as the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum which was recently completely refurbished with the help of National Lottery money.

The Bath Hotel, now known as the Royal Bath, has attracted many important visitors during the years, including Oscar Wilde, HG Wells, Richard Harris, Sir Thomas Beecham, Shirley Bassey, and prime ministers Disraeli (who stayed for three months to help his gout), Gladstone, Asquith and Lloyd George.

Royal guests have been Edward VII and Edward VIII when each was the Prince of Wales, George VI when he was the Duke of York, Queen Wilhemina of Sweden and Empress Eugenie of France.

Also, in 1977 the grounds and hotel were used for the film Valentino, starring Rudolph Nureyev.

As Bournemouth's popularity increased, the town centre spawned theatres, concert halls, cafés, cinemas and more hotels.

The town's first large entertainment venue was the original glass Winter Gardens, built in 1875 as the home of the town's municipal orchestra.

The likes of Elgar, Sibelius and Holst conducted there, but the acoustics were reputedly terrible.

In 1935, the original Winter Gardens was demolished. Its replacement, opened two years later, was intended as an indoor bowls centre, but by chance turned out to have superb acoustics, and after the Second World War it became the orchestra's new home. Prior to the opening of the BIC, the Winter Gardens welcomed just about every major entertainer of the day, from Maurice Chevalier to The Beatles and from Pink Floyd to Morecambe and Wise. But the building has been in decline since the late 1970s. It is currently closed as the council searches for ways to save it.