THE last department store in Bournemouth is set to close its doors for one last time today.

House of Fraser announced earlier this year that it would cease trading in the town after a long and celebrated history in Old Christchurch Road.

The store began as Bright’s in 1871 and was known as Dingles for much of its life - its signature towers and iron facades helped it become a grade-two listed building.

It was previously revealed that a new owner of the historic building is thought to have other plans for the site.

The closure of the town’s oldest department store follows the demise of its rivals Beales and Debenhams, and the closure of Marks and Spencer.

READ MORE: House of Fraser to close its Bournemouth store 

READ MORE: What's planned for Bournemouth's Marks and Spencer site

The chair of Bournemouth Town Centre Business Improvement District (BID), Martin Davies, previously told the Bournemouth Echo: “The closure of House of Fraser is another example of a matter that is fundamentally an ongoing contractual one between the landlords and tenants. There have been other examples in the town centre.”

Its closure will follow that of Beales, which was established in the town in 1881 and went into administration in 2020.

Debenhams, which began in the town as Bobby & Co in 1915, disappeared from the high street last year and was replaced by a new business under the Bobby’s name.

Last week The Echo revealed that the old Marks and Spencer building in the town centre could be transformed into a high rise with a blueprint for hundreds of new homes and additional retail provision.