Poole

Poole in Dorset is a small town on the south coast of England and where I was born and raised. It boasts a modest population of around 150,000 and is considered to be the birthplace of the Scout movement on Brownsea Island – the site of the first Scout camp. Poole’s harbor claims to be the second largest natural harbor in the world, after Sydney, but interestingly is extremely shallow with only one small channel that has been dredged in order to accommodate for large ferries. Other things that Poole is famous for is the shop Lush, clothing brand Animal, luxury yacht makers Sunseeker and being the birthplace of David John Moore Cornwell otherwise known as John Le Carré.

The history of Poole is naturally orientated around the harbor and its quay which has numerous listed buildings lining it from the old customs house built in 1814 and the town cellars built in the 15^th century. The harbor has a total of eight islands, the largest of the of which is Brownsea Island. As mentioned before it was the location of the first annual Scout camp that took place and a statue of Robert Baden-Powell, its creator, can be found on the quay side looking across to the island.

The quay itself is located at the top of the high street and the mainstay feature to know you have almost arrived is the Poole museum. The museum focuses mainly on local history and has many artifacts found in the local area dating back to Viking raids. Poole played its part in World War II as a staging area for the D-Day landings. My grandmother once told me she went down to the quay one morning only to find all the ships and transports that had gathered over the last few months were completely gone and nothing was left. Also during World War II, Brownsea Island was used as a decoy for the town during the night as lights and fires would be lit on the island so as to throw any German bomber slightly off target.

The entrance to Poole harbor has a chain ferry shipping cars from one side to the other so as to avoid the long drive around the harbor itself. The chain ferry takes passengers from Sandbanks, the famous peninsula what hosts some of the country’s richest inhabitants outside of London, to Studland. Sandbanks has some of the most amazing properties in the area and you would have to have done very well financially to purchase a property there. One of the most well-known residents in that particular area is ex-football manager Harry Redknapp.

There are many nice walks around the Poole area, notably Poole park, Whitecliff and of course the beaches at Sandbanks. The promenade on the beach stretches from Sandbanks down to Bournemouth beach, Boscombe beach round to Hengistbury Head near Christchurch and, when there aren’t too many sun lovers, it is a rather lovely walk. Also in the Poole area is Canford Heath where you can walk around in the heath land and see lots of wildlife and get away from the hustle and bustle.

Today Poole is still a busy industrious area with luxury yachts and boats being made, regular ferries to Cherbourg, its twin town, and as a tourist spot. However, the high street has sadly seen a decline in the last few years. As visitors walk from the quay to the shopping center at the other end of the main high street it is notable that the amount of empty shops is sadly increasing. There are plans to buy out the few remaining shops in that far end area and to build a cinema there, though in my personal experience of the local council and, in my opinion, if that were to happen it would be finished roughly in the year 2582 – maybe I’m just a cynic.