BournemouthBournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town and civil parish in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, on the south coast of England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest town in Dorset. Previously an uninhabited heathland, visited only by fishermen and occasional smugglers, a health resort was founded in the area by Lewis Tregonwell in 1810.
DevonCounty of EnglandNon-metropolitan and ceremonial county in EnglandDevon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west. The city of Plymouth is the largest settlement. The county has an area of 2,590 mi (6,700 km) and had an estimated population of 1,254,506 in 2024.
South West EnglandRegion of EnglandRegion in EnglandSouth West England, or the South West of England, is one of the nine official regions of England in the United Kingdom. Additionally, it is one of four regions that altogether make up Southern England. South West England consists of the counties of Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly), Dorset, Devon, Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire.
South East Dorset conurbationThe South East Dorset conurbation (also known as the South Dorset conurbation, Poole-Bournemouth urban area and Bournemouth urban area) is a multi-centred conurbation on the south coast of Dorset in England.
Ceremonial counties of EnglandCeremonial counties, formally known as counties for the purposes of the lieutenancies, are areas of England to which lord-lieutenants are appointed. A lord-lieutenant is the monarch's representative in an area. Shrieval counties have the same boundaries and serve a similar purpose, being the areas to which high sheriffs are appointed. High sheriffs are the monarch's judicial representative in an area.
HampshireHampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, Dorset to the west, and Wiltshire to the north-west. The city of Southampton is the largest settlement. The county has an area of 3,769 km2 (1,455 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 1,920,959 in 2024.
English ChannelThe English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busiest shipping area in the world. It is about 560 kilometres (300 nautical miles; 350 statute miles) long and varies in width from 240 km (130 nmi; 150 mi) at its widest to 34 km (18 nmi; 21 mi) at its narrowest in the Strait of Dover.
SomersetSomerset ( SUM-ər-set, -sit), archaically Somersetshire ( SUM-ər-set-sheer, -sit-, -shər), is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Bristol, and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. The largest settlement is the city of Bath.
The SolentThe Solent ( ) is a strait between the Isle of Wight and mainland Great Britain; the major historic ports of Southampton and Portsmouth lie inland of its shores. It is about 20 miles (32 kilometres) long and varies in width between 2+1⁄2 and 5 mi (4 and 8 km), although the Hurst Spit which projects 1+1⁄2 mi (2.4 km) into the Solent narrows the sea crossing between Hurst Castle and Colwell Bay to just over 1 mi (1.6 km).
Isle of WightThe Isle of Wight ( WYTE) is an island off the south coast of England. It is a unitary authority and also a ceremonial county. It is separated from the mainland county of Hampshire by the Solent strait, and is otherwise surrounded by the English Channel. Its largest settlement is Ryde, and the administrative centre is Newport. The Isle of Wight has a land area of 380 km2 (150 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 141,660 in 2024.
WiltshireWiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to the west. The largest settlement is Swindon. The county has an area of 3,485 km2 (1,346 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 767,575 in 2024. The county is mostly rural, and the centre and south-west are sparsely populated.
ArchaismIn language, an archaism is a word, a sense of a word, or a style of speech or writing that belongs to a historical epoch beyond living memory, but that has survived in a few practical settings or affairs.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.