The seeds of Pokesdown Youth Club were sown in the late 1890’s when Miss Ellen Mary Anstie opened her home to the ‘poor boys’ of the Pokesdown area. It became known as Pokesdown Lads Institute and had its foundations in the Christian faith since Miss Anstie was 'a woman of profound religious conviction'. Indeed the initial concept was a bible study for the lads of Pokesdown. Miss Anstie soon realised, however, that young people needed more than just spiritual guidance, they also needed somewhere they could call their own and where they could let off steam.

It was in 1905 therefore that Miss Anstie's father, a retired QC, purchased a small piece of land in Stourvale Road for the princely sum of £30 and shortly after with the help of friends and the support of her father, the first building (The Gym) was erected. It soon became known as a place where boys were cared for and encouraged to take up worthwhile activities such as handicrafts, shoe repairs, basket making, leatherwork, boxing, gymnastics and club swinging. The main part of the land was purchased In 1914 for a further £80, although subsequently a small strip of this was sold to the Borough to enable Stourvale Road to be widened. During the First World War soldiers were billeted at the club and the premises were open all day for activities by lads both in and out of uniform. In 1915 the Institute was declared a trust under the Charity Commissioners and in 1919, after a fundraising appeal, the premises were further extended by addition of the Memorial Hall.

During the thirties, it is believed, the two halls were connected by addition of the Coffee Bar and Lounge areas although this middle part was subsequently rebuilt in 1959. In the 1930's the club was made available as a day centre for young men who were unemployed during the recession. It offered refreshments, a mid-day meal of hot soup and bread and activities during hard times. Later in life, Miss Anstie was crippled with arthritis but she continued to control her club from a special high chair that she called her 'Council Rock'. In 1933 she finally had to give up the work due to ill health and she moved to live with friends at Burley. She died on 11th June 1935 at the age of 67.

It was during the forties that the first young woman was admitted although this did not become a regular feature until the late forties when permanent membership for women became available. With the coming of the Second World War, the Territorial Army and Airforce Association was allowed to erect a sixty feet long wooden hut on part of the site and this was used for the training of cadets as well as by the young people themselves. At the end of the war the club received its first grant from the Local Education Authority for a full-time leader, the first ever paid boys club leader in Bournemouth, and was able to open its doors seven nights a week. During this time also the Friends Association, a group of ex members whose aim was to provide items of equipment for the club that the Governors could not finance due to lack of funds, was formed.

By the late 1950’s the centre part of the premises had deteriorated with the roof leaking and the floor sinking. An appeal was launched that resulted in this section being rebuilt to provide a new lounge/billiard room, cloakrooms, changing facilities and storage. Members and parents did much of the decorating on this section. The final part of the premises, the main theatre/hall, stage, dressing rooms and workshop was added in 1966 when the old wooden games hut was demolished. This followed a local fundraising campaign that was aided with a local authority grant. The total cost of this was £18,000 and again, members and volunteers undertook much of the work.

A number of notable people have visited the club over the years. During its golden jubilee in 1953, funds were raised for the rebuilding programme and the week’s events brought in over £1,000. It was during that week that H. R. H. The Duke of Gloucester paid a visit. In 1959 when the centre of the club was demolished and rebuilt, Sir Alan Cobham carried out the official opening. In 1966, when the old games hut was demolished and the new hall, stage, green room, dressing rooms etc were built, Lord Louis Mountbatten of Burma attended.

The club prospered through the sixties, seventies and into the eighties, and in the late 1980’s the Pokesdown Reunion Association was formed. This group of ex members followed on from the Friends Association and came together as a result of a sad occasion, the funeral of previous club leader John Cutler. Many previous members came to pay their respects and together decided that it would be good to meet up regularly. This association still continues to meet today.

During the nineties the building started to show its age. A valiant effort was made mainly by members and volunteers to maintain a building that was in decline, and that effort has continued and still does continue today, although it is a battle that has been failing for some time. It was time for a new chapter in the life of one of the oldest youth clubs in the country and in 1999 the trustees passed a resolution to transfer trusteeship of the club to another suitable Charitable Trust with the experience and know-how required for what would be a major overhaul. The Bournemouth YMCA was identified as just such an organisation and was approached by the existing trustees through mutual connections with Bournemouth Youth Service. After a lengthy feasibility study, Bournemouth YMCA agreed in November 2000 to take responsibility for the club and so started the present phase in the Pokesdown Youth Club’s long history.

Pokesdown Youth Club has a huge legacy of youth work spanning ten decades. The work has impacted many thousands of young people through the years as well as many members of the wider community through the groups that meet there. In carrying out the feasibility study, Bournemouth YMCA saw the impact that the club had made over the years and realised the great potential that there was if the work could be continued and developed further. It is their vision for that as yet largely untapped potential that has led to this current development project and it is hoped that with the help of others, that vision will become a reality and the club will continue to be a major part of the community at Pokesdown for many years to come.