Town Hall, Bournemouth and George Tapps blue plaque

This blue commemorative plaque records: Town Hall Buildings 1875 Sir George Tapps built the thatched "Ashley Cottages" here in 1812. In 1875 Bournemouth's first Town Hall was built on this site. The civic offices, which later became the Criterion Hotel, survive at the front, but with an 1898 facade. The hall was converted into an arcade in 1886 and refurbished in 1962 and 1991. Recorded plaque organisation: Borough of Bournemouth.

Sir George Tapps, 1st Baronet, was a prominent local figure who significantly contributed to the early development of Bournemouth by building the thatched "Ashley Cottages" in 1812, which marked some of the earliest structures in what would become a thriving seaside town.