Notes From A Small Island

Bryson travels to Bournemouth, one of numerous seaside resort towns in England. He takes the opportunity to praise the upgrades made to the average hotel since the 1970s: There are now in-suite bathrooms and color televisions. After a shower, he dines at the hotel, where the food is mediocre but the service is excellent.

He enjoys Bournemouth for its ocean views and its lovely gardens. He notes that the town has modernized and lost some establishments over the years. Though he laments many of these changes, he praises the new local newspaper offices, noting that he once worked for the Bournemouth Evening Echo when he was young. He edited the reports regarding local women’s groups—a beat that was seen as unimportant and thus appropriate for a novice editor. One of his colleagues frequently asked strange questions about America.

He also notes that many of the coffee shops have disappeared. After a long walk to retrieve a cup of coffee, Bryson decides to take a double-decker bus, from which he believes towns appear at their best. In the case of Bournemouth, the tour reveals much of its historical underpinnings—the remnants of Victorian-era buildings. At the conclusion of the tour, he sees the former home of Gordon Selfridge, of the department store Selfridge’s, and digresses on the magnate’s fall: After the death of his wife, he embarked on an affair, began gambling heavily, and “died penniless and virtually forgotten” (77).