For a long time Bournemouth was a popular seaside resort and the likes of Robert Louis Stevenson, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Aubrey Beardsley vacationed there.
It is the final resting place of Mary Shelley along with her husband and parents. She has a Wetherspoons named after her, a blue plaque, and the Shelley Theatre now occupies the home she had built but never lived in.
Tolkien used to summer there, always at the Hotel Miramar, and eventually retired to nearby Poole.
NERD
Coffee & Dice – CLOSED
Comics & Coffee – Current status unclear
Mary Shelley’s grave: Shelley is buried in the churchyard on the hill behind the church, along with her mother Mary Wollstonecraft, and the rest of her family.
Robert Louis Stevenson Avenue, Skerryvore Garden, RLS Brown Plaque: Local memorials to the author of Dr. Jekyll & Mr Hyde, and Treasure Island.
Shelley Blue Plaque: Mary and Percy Bysshe Shelley commemorative plaque.
Tolkien Blue Plaque: At the Miramar hotel, where you can stay in the same room he always chose.
NERD FRIENDLY AND NERD-ADJACENT
Dark Side of the Mirror: Goth emporium.
GAME: Sovereign Shopping centre location for the national videogame chain.
Smyths: Location for the national toy store chain.
BOOKSHOPS
St. Martin’s Bookshop: Charity bookshop
The Nerdlist 