Go straight to the heart of Bournemouth at this pedestrianized square that’s surrounded by sights, stores, restaurants and bars.
The Square marks the middle of Bournemouth’s downtown area. Start your trip around Bournemouth here and you can walk down any of the three main shopping streets: Westover Road, Old Christchurch Road and Commercial Road, which all connect to The Square.
Stop for an evening drink at one of the bars on The Square, or browse the stores that are clustered around it and along the surrounding streets. The Square is also the place where you can catch a wide range of buses connecting to the further reaches of the town and beyond.
Despite its name, The Square is actually circular in shape. It spent much of the 20th century as a traffic circle, before being fully pedestrianized in 2000.
Stand in The Square and imagine it as it looked in the very early days of Bournemouth. In the early 19th century, when Bournemouth’s founder, Lewis Tregonwell, had only recently arrived in the area, there was little here but an inn and the Bourne stream, which could be crossed via a makeshift plank bridge.
Visit nowadays and you will see how The Square has been transformed. In and around The Square you can now find all the chain stores you would expect from a British city. Walk east from The Square and within 5 minutes you will reach beautiful Gothic St. Peter’s Church. Find the final resting place of Frankenstein author Mary Shelley in the graveyard outside.
Walk south instead to get to Bournemouth Beach and the fairground attractions of Bournemouth Pier. Treat yourself to traditional British fish and chips as you walk along the golden sands, and then take in beautiful views of the sea and the town with a ride on the traditional Ferris wheel.
The Square is around a 20-minute walk to the southwest of Bournemouth’s main train station. Make sure you take the time to visit the Central Gardens and Upper Gardens too. This narrow, snake-like green space stretches from The Square all the way up towards the northwest of the town.
