Bournemouth is the largest city in the county of Dorset, and is one of the United Kingdom`s leading coastal resort towns. Before the dawn of the nineteenth century, this area was sparsely populated, but thanks to the arrival of the railway, and a mention in one of the most popular travel books of the nineteenth century, The Spas of England, Bournemouth became one of the top vacation destinations in the country. It still holds onto this distinction over 150 years later. The Victorian houses and other public buildings which were built as Bournemouth was rapidly growing are lovingly preserved by the city and private citizens today. You can see these buildings all over town. St. Peter`s Church, built in the Gothic revival style, dates from 1879. Bournemouth is well-known for its nightlife, and there are a variety of bars, clubs, and pubs catered toward every type and stripe of visitor.