The East Cliff and the Russell-Cotes

About The East Cliff and the Russell-Cotes

By the ULTIMATE Brighton Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

The East Cliff is Bournemouth’s grand quarter: the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum in its clifftop house, the Royal Bath Hotel of 1838, the Edwardian Hotel Miramar and the Art Deco Cumberland, all looking out over the bay.

Climb from the beach to the East Cliff and the Victorian resort is all around you: turreted villas, palms and pines, and hotels with long views across Poole Bay to the Purbeck hills.

The Russell-Cotes

The Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum fills a spectacular clifftop house on the East Cliff. Its richly decorated rooms hold the fine art, sculpture and treasures from around the world gathered by the Victorian collectors Sir Merton and Lady Russell-Cotes, with changing exhibitions, a garden falling down the cliff and a café with sea views.

Check opening times and trains on the official sites before you travel.

The Royal Bath

Below it on Bath Road stands the Royal Bath Hotel, which opened in 1838 as Bournemouth’s first hotel, when the resort was still a handful of villas. It overlooks the bay a short walk from the pier.

Villas and Art Deco

Along East Overcliff Drive, Hotel Miramar occupies an elegant Edwardian villa with 43 rooms, and the Cumberland Hotel recalls the Art Deco hotels of Miami’s Ocean Drive. Both look straight out to sea.

Practical notes

The Russell-Cotes opens Tuesday to Sunday and on bank holiday Mondays, from 10am to 5pm; check its site for exhibitions.

Our advice: visit the Russell-Cotes in the morning, take lunch in its café over the bay, and walk back along the cliff top.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with The East Cliff and the Russell-Cotes before you go.