Hinton Wood House Timeline
Sir George Talbot (the father of the Talbot sisters) had several properties in his portfolio. Some were in London and some were in other parts of the country. As with many Victorian gentry-type families, the Talbots moved around the country (and sometimes abroad) throughout the year staying in various owned or rented properties. Sometime around 1842 the family started to visit the area which became Bournemouth. They initially rented land and accommodation before buying properties in Bournemouth including a large property on the East Cliff called "Hinton Wood House", the focus of this exhibit.
After the death of Sir George in 1850, Georgina Talbot, the younger sister, bought significant portions of land in the area and started developing Talbot Village with the large inheritance from her father. Hinton Wood House then became her principal residence where it is highly likely that she would have had a good number of servants and staff to manage the sizeable house and grounds. The maps attached to this exhibit show how large it was and how it has shrunk over the years due to further land and property developments.
Georgina died in 1870 and it seems that her older sister, Mary Anne (or Marianne), then became the principal resident of Hinton Wood House, again with staff and servants. She lived there whilst carrying on her sister’s work on developing Talbot Village until her death in 1885.
For a period afterwards, the house appears to have either been empty until the sisters’ good friend and heir, the Hon. Ronald Ruthven (who became the 12th Earl of Leven and Melville) started to use the property. Later records show that a few gentry folks spent time there, either as guests or as tenants, with occasional use by one of the Earls of Leven and Melville (and his mother).
Further into the early 1900s, the house was then occupied by a range of individuals until 1846 when it was sold and became a hotel. The hotel traded for a few years until the 1960s when the property was demolished to make way for a large block of flats called ‘Hinton Wood’, which still stands today.
Martin Senior, updated 20 July 2026
Other sources:
Brandon, P. (1855) The illustrated historical and picturesque guide to Bournemouth. Poole: R. Sydenham; London: Longman & Co.
Brandon, P. (1862) The illustrated historical and picturesque guide to Bournemouth and the surrounding scenery. 6th ed. Poole: R. Sydenham; London: Longman & Co.
Veale, Chifferiel & Co. (1889) Talbot Village, Dorset: valuation report, 31 December 1889. London: Veale, Chifferiel & Co. Unpublished manuscript.
| YEAR | OCCUPANT (and notes) | SOURCE (and notes) |
|---|---|---|
| Construction of Hinton Wood House | Library map indicates 1855, though it could have been bought by Sir George before he died in 1850 | |
| 1845 | Sir George Talbot and family headed for Bournemouth | The Morning Post, October 2, 1845 |
| 1849 | Sir George Talbot and family headed for Bournemouth Park | The Morning Post, October 3, 1849 |
| 1857 | Miss Georgina Talbott [sic] | Craven & Co’s Directory of Hampshire, 1857 |
| 1859 | Miss Georgiana Talbot | Post Office Directory of Hampshire, 1859 |
| 1862 | Miss Georgina Charlotte Talbot | Copy of the Deed of Settlement of the Talbot Almhouses and the Endowment Fund, 1862 (The Black Book) |
| 1865 | Miss L. Talbot [sic] | Harrod & Co Directory of Hampshire & the Isle of Wight (Clergy and Gentry), 1865 |
| 1867 | Miss Talbot Miss L. Talbot [sic] |
Post Office Directory of Hampshire, 1867 Smith & Co Hampshire and IoW, 1867 |
| 1871 | Miss Talbot, with 5 servants | Mercer & Crockers Directory, 1871 Census 1871 |
| 1874 | Miss M.A. Talbot | Butcher, Cole and Cos, Bournemouth Directory 1874–5 |
| 1875 | Miss Talbot | Kelly’s Directory of Hampshire, IoW, Wiltshire & Dorset, 1875 Post Office Directory of Hampshire, Wiltshire & Dorset, 1875 |
| 1877 | Miss Mary Anne Talbot | The Poole & South-Western Herald, March 29, 1877 (Arrivals, Departures) The Black Book, This Indenture, 1877 |
| 1880 | Miss Talbot | Kelly’s of Hampshire and IoW, 1880 |
| 1883 | Miss Talbot (Thomas Morgan, drowned butler) |
The Hampshire Advertiser County Newspaper, April 28, 1883 The Guardian, September 29, 1883 The Guardian, October 13, 1883 |
| 1884 | Miss Talbot | The Guardian, February 16, 1884 |
| 1885 | Miss Talbot Miss Talbot |
Kelly’s Directory, 1885 Kelly’s 1885 for Wilts, Dorset, Hants |
| 1887 | HWH – No names listed | Bournemouth Guardian Visitors’ List, October 8, 1887 |
| 1888 | HWH – No names listed | Bournemouth Guardian Visitors’ List, August 4, 1888 |
| 1889 | Hon. Ronald Ruthven Leslie-Melville Leslie Melville, Ronald Ruthven Hon. |
Kelly’s 1889 for BCP Kelly’s 1889 for Hampshire, Wiltshire and Dorset |
| 1890 | Leslie Melville, Hon. Ronald Ruthven | Kelly’s 1890 for Hampshire |
| 1891 | House for let, contact Earl of Leven’s agent – H. Patten (employee of Wilts & Dorset Banking Co. Limited?) | The Morning Post, November 16, 1891 |
| 1895 | Summer let until October | The Morning Post, May 6, 1895 |
| 1898 | Earl of Leven & Melville | Kelly’s Directory of Hampshire & Isle of Wight, 1898 |
| 1899 | Lord and Lady Alington visiting, tenancy until March 1899 | The World, February 22, 1899 The Guardian, February 18, 1899 |
| 1902 | Stable lad wanted | Hampshire Chronicle and General Advertiser for the South and West of England, November 22, 1902 |
| 1904 | Mr & Mrs Lethbridge and family | Mates 1904 |
| 1906 | Colonel H. and Mrs Le Roy-Lewis residing for part of the year | The Morning Post, January 23, 1906 The Inverness, October 9, 1906 (reporting on Leven’s death) |
| 1907 | Leven and Melville, Earl of And of Roehampton House, Roehampton SW |
|
| 1908 | Lady Leven and Melville and son, Lord Leven and Melville | The World, October 13, 1908 |
| 1911 | Miss E.R. Panton | Mates 1911 |
| 1912 | Miss E.R. Panton | Mates 1912 |
| 1913 | No names listed (Mrs E.R. Panton in Cliff House next door) | Mates 1913 |
| 1914 | No names listed | Mates 1914 |
| 1915 | No names listed | Kelly’s 1915 Mates 1915 |
| 1916 | No names listed Winter residence with tariff |
Kelly’s 1916 Mates 1916 The Sheffield Daily, October 27, 1916 Sheffield Daily Telegraph, November 11, 1916 |
| 1917 | Mr and Mrs J. Chirm | Mates 1917 |
| 1918 | Kitchen maid sought by the Hon Lady Harvey No occupants |
Morning Post, January 1, 1918 Mates 1918 |
| 1919 | No names listed (house contents for sale) |
Mates 1919 The Guardian, March 1, 1919 |
| 1921 | Mr Hunt | Mates 1921 |
| 1923 | Mr H Hunt | Mates 1923 |
| 1924 | Mr H Hunt | Mates 1924 |
| 1926 | Mr M. Gompel | Mates 1926 |
| 1928 | Mr M. Gompel Gompel Maurice, boarding ho. (Hinton Wood Ho) |
Mates 1928 Kelly’s 1928 for BCP |
| 1929 | Mr M. Gompel | Mates 1929 |
| 1930 | Mr M. Gompel | Mates 1930 |
| 1931 | Mr M. Gompel Gompel Maurice, boarding ho. (Hinton Wood Ho) |
Mates 1931 Kelly’s 1931 for BCP |
| 1932 | Mr M. Gompel | Mates 1932 |
| 1933 | Mr M. Gompel | Mates 1933 |
| 1946 | Sold for conversion into flats | The Bournemouth Times, June 21, 1946 |
| 1952 | Hinton Wood (Bournemouth) Ltd private hotel | Kelly’s 1952 |
| 1954 | Hinton Wood Hotel | Post Office Telephone Directory 1954 |
| 1955 | Hinton Wood (Bournemouth) Ltd private hotel Hinton Wood Hotel |
Kelly’s 1955 Post Office Telephone Directory 1955 |
| 1956 | Hinton Wood Hotel | Post Office Telephone Directory 1956 |
| 1957 | Hinton Wood (Bournemouth) Ltd private hotel Hinton Wood Hotel |
Kelly’s 1957 Post Office Telephone Directory 1957 |
| 1958 | Hinton Wood Hotel | Post Office Telephone Directory 1958 |
| 1959 | Hinton Wood (Bournemouth) Ltd private hotel Hinton Wood Hotel |
Kelly’s 1959 Post Office Telephone Directory 1959 |
| 1960 | No reference | Post Office Telephone Directory 1960 |
| 1967 | Land cleared | Map SZ0990NW - B# |
