Bournemouth is a coastal resort town in Dorset, England. In the 12th century, the region around the mouth of the River Bourne was part of the hundred of Holdenhurst. By 1200, Bournemouth was a flourishing Catholic village with productive croplands and pastures. By 1574, however, the area was devoid of all habitation, and it remained this way as late as 1795. However, Dorset Yeomanry captain Lewis Tregonwell founded Bournemouth in 1810, and it transformed from a health resort into a railway town in 1870. Its growth increased in the early 20th century, and, while it escaped heavy bombing during World War II, its seafront was destroyed by barbed wire, anti-tank obstacles, and mines placed there to protect Britain from German invasion; it took two years after the war's end to make the beach safe again. In 1974, Bournemouth was transferred from Hampshire to Dorset for administrative purposes. In 2011, Bournemouth had a population of 183,491 people.
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