A selection of local landmarks in and around Bournemouth

The pictures should change after 5-6 seconds (Listings below)

Camera Obscura	Zurich	Albany	Burlington	Home Life
Imax Cinema	Littledown Arch	Littledown Front	Nat West	Norfolk Royal
Pier	Prison Ship	Springbourne Library	St Peters Rd	Unisys
Camera Obscura:- The obscura chamber is a large circular room with a 1.8m diameter circular table in the centre, onto which the image is projected. The table is white, as could be expected, and the height is adjustable so the image can be focused. Please insist on a view as it is worth it.
Zurich Building Society: - Quite an attractive modern concept building and viewed by the thousands of motorists from the Wessex Way in it's prominent position at the top of Richmond Hill. There are many headquarters of finance/ insurance companies in Bournemouth giving employment and diversity to this famous resort.
Albany :- Possibly the tallest building in Bournemouth which can be seen for miles in it's cliff top position. Apparently it caused some rock fall  from the cliffs when it was built in the 1960's so we hope all is well now for the residents. The flats give the residents some of the best views in Bournemouth. It is a pity the architect didn't think of the view the flats gave everybody else. Luckily it is now forbidden to build so high.
Burlington:- Former bustling hotel in Boscombe now a heath centre and luxury flats. Restored to it's former glory and enjoying lovely views across the bay. The hotel opened in 1892 and had 180 bedrooms and 13 suites. During the Second World War it was a RAF officer training centre. Despite reopening as a hotel it couldn't survive and since the 1950s various plans were put forward until recently when it shut down. Such is the fate of many hotels in the town due to the changing holiday trends.
Homelife:- Distinctive "Art Deco " shaped office block just off the Wessex Way. It can be seen in all it's splendour as you head for the lovely East Cliff. It makes a change to see a modern building where some thought has gone into it's design.
Imax Cinema:- Controversial eye catching seafront building showing amazing 3D films. The glass building is very striking and houses a large pub with spectacular views alongside other eateries and a nightclub. Detested by many locals for spoiling the view down Bath Road of the sea it seems as if it is here to stay. The cinema has a huge screen and if you have never seen 3D then don't miss it it is truly awesome!
Littledown arch:- Scandinavian/Nordic in appearance. Well hidden on the Littledown leisure complex but non the less very eye catching. The leisure centre is one of the busiest council run centres in England.
Littledown Front : -Very busy leisure centre complete with water slide in the pool. Built on the edge of the town for easy access from the A338 (Wessex Way).
Nat West Bank:- Former  Empress hotel  located in the Square. Despite being called the Square this area linking the two shopping areas has never been that shape! This area is constantly evolving and is pedestrian friendly as it can get. Tall palm trees flank the entrance to the lovely gardens from the Square.
Norfolk Royal :- Luxury hotel with a beautiful frontage near the bottom of Richmond hill..  The hotel was once featured in "One foot in the grave "tv series when Mr Meldrew was a hotel porter. Look out for parts of the town when the series is shown again. Once a busy thorough fare Richmond Hill is now only used for access and leads down into the Square.
Pier:- Bournemouth's famous landmark complete with theatre. The present pier was built in the 1950's and is not visually a patch on it's Victorian predecessor although it remains a huge attraction. There are plans to redevelop the pier so perhaps this product of a bye gone age will lead the way in the 21st Century.
Prison Ship:- Locals name for high rise student accommodation where the roof blew off soon after it was built! Located opposite to the police station. It is also in a  handy location for the nightlife and the rooms have every amenity for the busy student. The building is also known as Cranbourne House.
Springbourne Library:-Free public access to PCs with MS Office and Internet access ....Scanner and CD-rewriter facility ...Adaptive Technology including large keyboard, trackball mouse, magnification software (Zoomtext), text to speech software (Jaws) and symbols software (Widgit).Springbourne Library is in an acknowledged attractive building, but to make it accessible for people with disabilities, it has been estimated that £90,000 would be needed.
St Peters Rd: -Once a former small windy lane into town now highly residential. It is found behind the calm oasis of St. Peter's churchyard.
Unisys:- "Wedding cake" style building with a variety of tiers. Looks lovely when complete with Christmas Decorations. Plants tumble over the tiers making it one of the most memorable buildings in Bournemouth.