Between 1870 and 1875, Dr. Thomas Compton bought three areas of land, including a mile of coastline, together with a large section of good agricultural land. He called his estate Southbourne-on-Sea and began ambitious plans to attract residents and visitors to the area, by offering land for sale for building - Southbourne was born. The first house to be built in Southbourne was in 1872, when Henry Reeves, leader writer of The Times, bought land from Dr. Compton to build "Foxholes", a house he lived happily in until his death in 1875.

By 1901 Southbourne became part of the newly formed County Borough of Bournemouth. Since then Southbourne has had a selection of noteable national mentions. In 1906, a number of Russian exiles set up a printing press locally and produced copies of Leo Tolstoy's writings for distribution to Russians around the world. In 1910, Charles Rolls, the founder of Rolls Royce, became the first person to die in a flying accident, when his aircraft blew up in a mid air display at Southbourne aerodrome. Gordon Selfridge, founder of Selfridges in London owned 700 acres of Southbourne until the land was sold in 1930. Also, during the second half of the last century, Southbourne has been the home of Frederick E. Smith - author of 633 Squadron and many other books.

Modern day Southbourne boasts a most impressive sea front with glorious views from the cliffs over Christchurch Bay, a bustling town centre for all everyday shopping needs and an extensive choice of concert halls, theatres, restaurants and cinemas are all available, only a short drive away in Bournemouth. Hurn International Airport is close by, convenient for foreign travel and the impressive road system provides easy access to the motorway system to London and the major cities. Locally, the sailing facilities could be described as the best in the country, with the New Forest National Park close at hand with 96,000 acres of stunning countryside to enjoy.