5/5 Gordon K. 2 years ago on Google
I
started
work
in
Poole
over
50
years
ago
and
I
have
seen
many
changes
around
the
town.
I
saw
what
was
then
the
Arndale
Centre
(
now
known
as
the
Dolphin
Centre
)
being
built.
The
quay
is
one
of
the
most
beautiful
places
to
visit.
Poole
Harbour
is
one
of
the
largest
natural
harbours
in
the
world
and
Brownsea
island
being
within
this
harbour
is
now
the
home
of
the
thriving
red
Squirrel
population
and
the
home
of
Boy
Scout
movement
in
England.
The
Poole
Harbour
area
has
been
inhabited
for
at
least
2,500
years.
During
the
Iron
Age,
Celtic
people
known
as
the
Durotriges
lived
in
Dorset,
particularly
around
Wareham,
five
miles
(
eight
km
)
to
the
west.
In
the
3rd
century
BC,
these
Celtic
people
moved
from
hilltop
settlements,
such
as
Maiden
Castle
and
Badbury
Rings
on
the
chalk
downs
to
the
north,
to
the
lower
vales
and
heathland
around
the
River
Frome
and
Poole
Harbour.
This
marshy
area
may
have
lent
its
name
to
the
Durotriges,
which
means
water
dwellers.
The
Durotriges
engaged
in
cross-channel
trading
at
Poole
with
the
Veneti,
a
seafaring
tribe
from
Brittany.
The
earliest
significant
archaeological
find
in
the
harbour
is
the
Poole
Longboat,
a
10
metres
(
33
ft
)
boat
made
from
a
single
oak
tree
and
dating
to
295
BC.
During
that
time,
the
harbour
was
shallower
than
it
is
today
and
any
settlement
would
now
be
under
water.
Poole
Quay
is
a
visitor
attraction
to
the
south
of
the
town
centre
lined
with
a
mixture
of
traditional
public
houses,
new
bars,
redeveloped
warehouses,
modern
apartment
blocks
and
historic
listed
buildings.
Once
the
busy
centre
of
Poole's
maritime
industry,
all
port
activities
moved
to
Hamworthy
in
the
1970’s
as
the
Quay
became
increasingly
popular
with
tourists.
The
Grade
II
listed
Customs
House
on
the
quay-front
was
built
in
1814
and
now
functions
as
a
restaurant
and
bar.
Nearby
the
Grade
I
listed
Town
Cellars,
a
medieval
warehouse
built
in
the
15th
century
on
the
foundations
of
a
14th
century
stone
building,
houses
a
local
history
centre.
Scaplen's
Court,
another
Grade
I
listed
building,
also
dates
from
the
medieval
era.
Poole
Pottery
has
been
redeveloped
into
an
apartment
block.
Boats
regularly
depart
from
the
quay
during
the
summer
and
provide
cruises
around
the
harbour
and
to
Brownsea
Island,
the
River
Frome
and
Swanage.
Public
artworks
along
the
Quay
include
Sea
Music
–
a
large
metal
sculpture
designed
by
Sir
Anthony
Caro,
and
a
life-size
bronze
sculpture
of
Robert
Baden-Powell
created
to
celebrate
the
founding
of
the
Scout
Movement
on
Brownsea
Island.
At
the
western
end
of
the
quay
near
the
mouth
of
Holes
Bay
is
Poole
Bridge.
Built
in
1927,
it
is
the
third
bridge
to
be
located
on
the
site
since
1834.
The
RNLI
museum
(
though
quite
small
)
is
dedicated
to
the
lifeboat
service
in
based
in
Poole.
It
is
located
in
the
historical
old
lifeboat
station
that
was
built
in
1863
and
the
main
exhibit
is
the
Dunkirk
one
of
the
little
ships
RNLB
Thomas
Kirk
Wright.
The
first
boathouse
was
built
in
1865
at
Sandbanks
just
by
the
narrow
entrance
to
the
large
and
natural
Poole
Harbour.
This
was
remote
from
the
main
building
in
Poole
which
meant
the
crew
had
to
be
collected
by
horse-drawn
wagon
from
the
Antelope
Hotel
in
the
High
Street
Old
Town
and
taken
to
Sandbanks.
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