Bournemouth Winter Gardens

Now a green public space; site of the famous Victorian glass concert hall demolished in 2006

The Winter Gardens site, between the town centre and West Cliff, has had a curious history. The original glass-and-iron pavilion, modelled on the Crystal Palace, opened in 1875; it was replaced by a brick concert hall in 1937 that hosted the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra until 2002 and was demolished in 2006.

The proposed redevelopment has stalled for two decades. Today the site is a sloping green space used for the BBC Proms in the Park, the Bournemouth Food and Drink Festival, and the Air Festival's main concert. The trees and the views from the West Cliff edge remain pleasant; the lack of any building feels increasingly anomalous.

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The original Winter Gardens, built in 1875 as a grand glasshouse to lure visitors out of season, was the home of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra for most of the 20th century. The building was demolished in 2006 to make way for a redevelopment that has never happened. The site is now a green where Bournemouth's biggest pop concerts and beer festivals are held.

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