Everything about Poole totally explained
» For people with Poole as surname, see Poole (disambiguation)
Poole is a large coastal
town and
seaport on the south coast of
England. It is the main settlement of
Poole borough, and is part of the
historic and
ceremonial county of
Dorset, in
South West England. The town had a population of 144,800 in the
2001 census.
Poole is a popular tourist destination, attracting visitors with its
history,
museums,
art galleries,
aquarium and
harbour. During the summer, tourists visit the the quay, the town centre,
Sandbanks and
Brownsea Island. The
railway station is a 2 minute walk from the town centre and the
airport is 10 miles away. The main road through the town is the
A35, linking Poole to the
A3049 and the port.
The town has a long history of
maritime trade. It was granted exclusive rights to fish off
Newfoundland by
Queen Victoria in the 19th century. During the
Second World War the town was one of the departing points for the
D-Day landings of the
Normandy Invasions.
The town is a centre of
sailing and
yachting. Poole is home to the headquarters of the
Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and the
luxury yacht manufacturer
Sunseeker. The
Special Boat Service (SBS) also operate out of the harbour. Employers in Poole include the
Barclays, Hamworthy Engineering, Poole Packaging,
Penske Cars,
Ryvita, cosmetics company
Lush, and the clothing company, Animal.
The town is home to
Bournemouth University,
The Arts Institute at Bournemouth and the
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (despite their names). Poole also has a
speedway team, the
Poole Pirates at
Poole Stadium.
Poole is twinned with
Cherbourg in
France.
Geography
Poole is located on the shores of the
English Channel and it's famed for its large
natural harbour, which claims to be the second largest in the world. The town largely lies on the northern and eastern sides of the harbour.
The oldest part of the town (including the historic quarter of Poole, the Dolphin Shopping centre and Poole Park) lie to the south of Holes Bay and to the north of Poole Harbour. To the west of Poole is
Upton. Within the northern boundaries of Poole are the settlements of
Broadstone and
Merley, with
Wimborne lying just across the northern border. Also within the northern boundary is
Canford Heath, a new settlement built on an internationally important heathland during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. The remaining heathland is now protected, although still in private ownership. At the eastern edge of Poole, the town abuts
Bournemouth and the settlements of
Talbot Village,
Wallisdown,
Kinson,
Winton and
Westbourne. The administrative boundary of Poole also includes the mainly residential areas of
Parkstone, Newtown,
Branksome and
Hamworthy. The Poole areas of Wallisdown and Talbot Village have a large student population who attend
Bournemouth University which has its administrative area and main campus within the boundaries of Poole.
Sandbanks, a
peninsula forming part of the harbour mouth (to the east of the main town centre) has the highest land value, per square foot, in the world. There are expensive homes both on Sandbanks and the area stretching east from the Harbour the Canford Cliffs area.
Harbour and Quay
Poole Harbour, the claimant of the title of second largest natural harbour in the world after
Sydney, has been a working port for hundreds of years, though the port has declined in importance in trade as the shallow water can't take large container ships. Today the port is the home of
Sunseeker, manufacturers of luxury yachts, and the departure point for the ferry companies (
Brittany Ferries and
Condor Ferries) to
France and the
Channel Islands.
The harbour is noted for its ecology: supporting saltmarsh, mudflats and an internationally important population of wintering waterfowl. Within the harbour lies
Brownsea Island, a nature reserve owned by the
National Trust and the birthplace of the
Scouting movement and first
Scout Camp.
During the
Second World War the quayside and harbour was one of the central departing points for the
D-Day landings of the
Normandy Invasions. There is a plan to expand the port and enlarge the capacity and facilities so that larger ships, even cruise ships can dock in Poole. This is all part of the rejuvenation of the town, alongside new developments and amenities including the new town bridge (over to
Hamworthy), which will be built over the next few years.
History
Early History
The Poole Harbour area has been inhabited for at least 2,500 years. The local tribe were the
Celtic
Durotriges who lived in
Dorset in the
Iron Age, particularly around
Wareham, five miles to the west. The earliest significant archaeological find in the harbour itself is the
Poole Logboat, a 10 metre boat made from a single
oak tree and dating to 295
BC. At the time the harbour was probably shallower and any settlement would now be under water.
During the last few centuries before the Roman invasion the Celtic people were moving from the hilltop settlements, such as
Maiden Castle and
Badbury Rings on the chalk downs to the north, and onto the lower
vales and heathland around the
River Frome and
Poole Harbour. It may be this marshy area which gave the local tribe of the area, the Durotriges, "water dwellers", their name. The Durotriges probably engaged in cross-channel trading at Poole with the
Veneti, a seafaring tribe from
Brittany.
In the
Roman invasion of Britain in the
1st century, Poole was one of a number of harbouring sites along the south coast where the
Romans landed. The Romans founded
Hamworthy, an area just west of the modern town centre, and continued to use the harbour during the occupation. After the retreat of the
Romans in
410, the native
Britons were left to fend for themselves. Trade in the area diminished, though several small settlements continued to thrive.
By the
7th Century, the
Anglo-Saxon invasion of southern Britain was complete and Poole was included within the newly established
West Saxon Kingdom (
Wessex). Poole was used as a base for fishing and a place for ships to anchor on their way to
Wareham, which was an important Saxon fortified stronghold. In 876 a
Danish Viking army captured Wareham but they were besieged and defeated by a Saxon army led by
Alfred the Great. The Danish fleet retreated though Poole Harbour but 120 of their
longships were sunk in a violent storm off the coast of
Poole Bay and
Studland.
In 1015, the Viking
King Canute and his army invaded and retook control of most of England. Canute led his fleet to Poole Harbour and occupied
Brownsea Island, which he used as a base to raid and
sack Wareham.
11th to 18th centuries
During the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries the
maritime and
fishing trade of Poole continued to grow. As such, Poole was given its first
charter in
1248 under
William Longspee,
Lord of the Manor, a
knight and
crusader. Poole however remained a small fishing town until the time of the
Norman Conquest.
In
1405 a
French and
Spanish fleet burnt Poole to the ground because local
pirate Harry Paye was attacking their trading vessels. Afterwards the town grew rapidly into an important port exporting
wool and in
1433 was made
Port of the Staple as it had become the biggest port in
Dorset. By then the town had trade links from the
Baltic to
Spain.
The town continued to grow in importance despite the effects of
piracy and, in
1571, was made a
county corporate. In the 16th, 17th and 18th century Poole became an important salt centre, with large salt warehouses dominating the waterfront. The saltmasters mansion,
Salterns House still exists in
Sandbanks. In the 17th century transatlantic trade and travel developed and at the start of the 18th century the town was beating rival
Bristol as the busiest port in England.
19th and 20th centuries
The town grew rapidly during the
industrial revolution as
urbanisation took place and the town became both an area of mercantile prosperity and of overcrowded poverty. Poole was granted exclusive rights to fish off Newfoundland by
Queen Victoria, which improved the importance and wealth of the town. At the turn of the 19th century, nine out of ten workers in Poole were engaged in harbour activities, but as the century progressed ships became too large for the shallow harbour and the port began losing business to the deep water ports at
Liverpool,
Southampton and
Plymouth. In 1897, the Haven Hotel in Poole was the site of some of
Marconi's wireless experiments. Marconi was able to receive radio signals in Poole sent from
Alum Bay,
Isle of Wight, 20 miles away.
In the 19th century the
beaches and landscape of south-west
Hampshire and south east Dorset, as well as the
Isle of Purbeck district of Dorset, began to attract
tourists and the villages to the east of Poole began to grow and merge until the holiday town of
Bournemouth emerged. Growth accelerated and Poole and Bournemouth (along with Christchurch to the east) have become a large conurbation, although the three towns each have their own character.
Poole was the third largest embarkation point for
D-Day with 81
landing craft leaving Poole Harbour for the Normandy shores. A US Coastguard
ensign is laid up in St James’s Church in the Old Town area of Poole. There is also a
plaque on the quayside given by men and women of the United States Coast Guard which commemorates these 60 cutters departing for the
Normandy Invasion on the 6 June 1944, and expresses appreciation for the kindness of the people of Poole to the crews.
Poole retains a part of its industrial heritage. The Town Centre retains many of the older buildings put up by the wealthy merchants, such as the
1761 market house and Sir Peter Thompson's
1746 town house designed by
John Bastard (in Market Street). Other historic buildings such as the
mediaeval Wool house,
Scaplen's Court and the
Tudor Ancient Guild of
St George Tudor almshouses erected in 1586 also survive. However, the town suffered greatly from bombing in
World War II and much of the
Georgian part of the town was redeveloped in the 1960s and 70s.
On
April 1,
1997 the town was made a
unitary authority, once again administratively independent from Dorset, after a review of the
Local Government Commission for England. The borough became, once again, the
Borough and County of the Town of Poole, which recalled its status as a
county of itself prior to the implementation of the
Local Government Act 1888.
Poole Today
Building regeneration projects include the demolition of Hamworthy (Poole)
power station in the early 1990s and the redevelopment of the old
town gas gas-works. The latter has become part of the
Poole Quarter, a housing project near the town centre, comprising of 512 new homes. Other projects include the renovated
arts centre and the new
RNLI headquarters. The construction boom was acknowledged in 2007, when the Borough of Poole received an award celebrating the best of the British
construction industry.
A second
bridge is planned to be built to connect the centre of Poole with
Hamworthy. The existing bridge is unsuitable for the traffic flow, as it was constructed in 1926 after the previous bridge, built in 1885, was also considered unsuitable for the growing town. As of November 2007, construction of the bridge has been delayed because of a stalemate between the council and the owners of the land. The £34 million scheme was given approval in 2006 by the
Department for Transport.
Coat of Arms and St James
The first coat of arms was recorded by
Clarenceux King of Arms during the
heraldic visitation of Dorset in 1563. The arms were recorded again at visitation in 1623. In both visitation records the colours of the arms were not recorded. The design originated in a seal of the late 1300s and therefore predated the setting up of the
College of Heralds in 1484 and also the order of
King Henry V in 1417, which disallowed the bearing of arms without authority from the Crown. The wavy bars (black and gold) represented water and the dolphin "the king of the sea", just as the lion represents "king of the beasts". The dolphin was a sign of Poole's maritime interests. The three scallop shells are the symbol of St James and associated with the shrine of
Santiago de Compostela reputed burial place of
St James, apostle of Jesus Christ. St James is the Patron Saint of the
Parish Church in the Old Town of Poole.
The arms were confirmed by the College of Arms on
June 19,
1948, with the colours officially recorded for the first time. At the same time the crest, a
mermaid supporting an anchor and holding a cannon ball was granted. The crest had in fact been in use since the eighteenth century. Following
local government reorganisation in 1974, the 1948 arms were transferred to the present Poole Borough Council. In 1976 the borough council received the grant of supporters, the figures on either side of the shield.
The supporters refer to Poole's main charters: that on the dexter side (left to the viewer) is a gold lion holding a long sword. This represents William Longespee, lord of the manor in 1248 who granted the town's first charter. The other (sinistere) supporter is a dragon. This is derived from the royal arms of
Elizabeth I, as depicted on the "Great Charter" of 1568. The royal dragon is coloured red, but that granted to Poole was altered to gold for heraldic difference. The dragon holds a silver oar. This is part of the civic regalia of the Mayor of Poole, representing his additional title "Admiral of the port of Poole". Since 1976 the dolphin has been depicted naturalistically rather than heraldically.
The armorial bearings of the arms are
blazoned as follows:
Barry wavy of eight sable and or a dolphin naiant embowed argent langued gules; on a chief wavy of the third three escallops of the first. Crest: On a wreath of the colours a mermaid proper supporting with her dexter hand an anchor cabled without a beam proper and in her sinister hand a pellet. Supporters: On the dexter a lion or holding a sword erect proper and on the sinister a dragon or supporting an oar argent upon a Compartment per pale of a grassy mound and water barry wavy azure and argent.
Poole is home to its own motorcycle speedway team, the Poole Pirates. The Pirates opened in 1948 in the National League Division Three but rose to the top flight. The team races in the British Elite League.
Poole's oldest football team is Poole Town F.C. who play in the Wessex League Premier Division. Poole Borough F.C. play in the Dorset Premier League. Poole's entertainment sites include Tower Park, one of England's largest entertainment and dining complexes. In 2008 Poole will have its own Community Radio Station The Bay 102.8. Poole also has restaurants, cafés and historic pubs, many of which are on The Quay.
The Lighthouse
The Lighthouse is a regional arts centre, containing a cinema, concert hall and theatre. According to the Arts council of England it's the largest arts centre in the United Kingdom outside London.
Poole Park
Poole has a large public park, adjacent to Poole Harbour and the towns sports complex and swimming centre. The park is one of only two Victorian parks in the Borough of Poole and the only one containing buildings. The park comprises 109.5 acres of which 60 acres are water. The park has a lake, as well as a large fountain and two children's play areas. There is a monument to Poole citizens lost during the First and Second World Wars. In 2006 the park was redeveloped at a cost of £2 million. The redevelopment included a new Italian restaurant, indoor ice rink and cleaning of the lake.. Poole Park also hosts several road races such as the Poole Festival of Running organised by Poole Runners
and 'Round the Lakes' on Boxing Day organised by Poole Athletic Club
Poole Park is also host to many other lesser known events such as 'The Skeleton Fun Run' and 'Trolly Dash'.
Image:PooleCivcCentreandPark.jpg|Entrance to Poole Park, with the civic centre behind
Image:PooleParkLake1.jpg|Poole Park Lake
Image:PooleParkLake2.jpg|Poole Park Lake, looking north
Image:PooleParkLake3.jpg|Poole Park Lake, looking north-west
Poole Museum
Poole Museum (formerly the Waterfront Museum) has been renovated at a cost of £1 million. Following a refurbishment and extension funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund the museum opened in July 2007. The extension, designed by architects Horden Cherry Lee, includes a balcony with views over the Old Town and Harbour. The museum includes the Poole Logboat, as well as a detailed history of Poole from the Iron Age to the present day. The museum also has a floor devoted to the history of Poole Pottery and some of the company's products are on display. Entrance to the museum is free.
Transport
Bus and coach
The majority of local bus services in Poole are provided by Wilts and Dorset who are based at the town’s bus station. Other services are run by Transdev Yellow Buses and Roadliner. There are limited services provided by First. Coach services to London and other destinations are operated by National Express.
Rail
Poole has four railway stations on the South Western Main Line from London Waterloo to Weymouth within the Borough. These are, from east to west, Branksome near the border with Bournemouth, Parkstone, Poole in the town centre and Hamworthy serving Hamworthy and Upton. Poole railway station has the most frequent service and is served by express, semi-fast and stopping services to and from London Waterloo.
Ferry
Poole is a cross channel port for passengers and freight with up to seven sailings a day in the summer season. Services to Cherbourg in France are operated by Brittany Ferries who provide a year round service. From 30 November 2007 Brittany Ferries have also operated a weekend freight service to Santander in Spain. A seasonal service to the Channel Islands and St Malo, France, is run by Condor Ferries.
Schools
Poole has first schools (ages 4-8), middle schools (8-12), combined schools (ages 4-12) and secondary schools with sixth form colleges (ages 12-16/18). Two of the secondary schools are selective grammar schools, Poole Grammar for boys and Parkstone Grammar for girls, whilst and one is for ages 13-18 Upper school - Corfe Hills School. The only 4-11 primary school is in Bearwood for whom the local secondary school is the 11-18 Oakmead Technology College in neighbouring Bournemouth.
When Poole became a unitary authority in 1997 it regained control of its schools. There are also special schools and independent schools such as Canford School within the borough boundaries. The campuses of The Bournemouth and Poole College are in Poole and the main campus of Bournemouth University is in Poole at Wallisdown.
Population
Notable people and former residents
Robert Baden Powell, founder of the scouting movement.
Greg Lake of the band ELP.
Daniel Webb, footballer playing for A.F.C. Wimbledon.
Jamie Redknapp, footballer, lives in Sandbanks
David Cornwell aka John le Carré, born in Poole.
J.R.R. Tolkien, lived in Poole for 4 years after retiring.
David Croft, writer, producer and actor, born in Sandbanks
Harry Redknapp football manager/player, lives in Sandbanks
Places of interest
Poole Museum
Sandbanks
Brownsea Island
Tower Park
Poole Bay
Compton Acres Gardens
Poole Pottery
Poole Harbour
Gallery
Image:Historic_old_Poole.jpg|Historic Poole - close up of Market Street
Image:St_James_Church_poole.jpg|Historic Poole - St James Church
Image:Thames_street_Museum_poole.jpg|Historic Poole - Thames Street and Poole Museum and Local History Centre
Image:Historic_old_poole2.jpg|Historic Poole - View from the Old Town Hall down Market Street
Image:Old_town_hall_poole.jpg|Historic Poole - The Old Town Hall
Image:Poole_beachsign.jpg|Welcome to Poole Sign near Sandbanks Beach
Image:poole.sunseeker.arp.jpg|The Sunseeker boat-building factory on the Poole waterfront (the larger of the three yachts is a Sunseeker)
Image:PooleCentrePan2.jpg|The Town Centre - Barclays Bank offices (background) and the Dolphin Shopping Centre (left)
Twin Towns
Cherbourg, FranceFurther Information
Get more info on 'Poole'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://poole.totallyexplained.com">Poole Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
