Visit Poole Places

Welcome to Visit Poole Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Poole

  

Poole Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Poole

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Poole history

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The town’s name derives from a corruption of the Celtic word bol and the Old English word pool meaning a place near a pool or creek. Variants include Pool, Pole, Poles, Poll, Polle, Polman, and Poolman. The area around modern Poole has been inhabited for the past 2,500 years. During the 3rd century BC, Celts known as the Durotriges moved from hilltop settlements at Maiden Castle and Badbury Rings to heathland around the River Frome and Poole Harbour. The Romans landed at Poole during their conquest of Britain in the 1st century and took over an Iron Age settlement at Hamworthy, an area just west of the modern town centre. In Anglo-Saxon times, Poole was included in the Kingdom of Wessex. The settlement was used as a base for fishing and the harbour a place for ships to anchor on their way to the River Frome and the important Anglo-Saxon town of Wareham. Poole experienced two large-scale Viking invasions during this era: in 876, Guthrum sailed his fleet through the harbour to attack Wareham, and in 1015, Canute began his conquest of England in Poole Harbour, using it as a base to raid and pillage Wessex. Following the Norman conquest of England, Poole rapidly grew into a busy port as the importance of Wareham declined. The town was part of the manor of Canford but does not exist as an identifiable entry in the Domesday Book. The earliest written mention of Poole occurred on a document from 1196 describing the newly built St James’s Chapel in “La Pole”. The Lord of the Manor, Sir William Longspée, sold a charter of liberties to the burgesses of Poole in 1248 to raise funds for his participation in the Seventh Crusade. Consequently, Poole gained a small measure of freedom from feudal rule and acquired the right to appoint a mayor and hold a court within the town. Poole’s growing importance was recognised in 1433 when it was awarded staple port status by King Henry VI, enabling the port to begin exporting wool and in turn granting a licence for the construction of a town wall. In 1568, Poole gained further autonomy when it was granted legal independence from Dorset and made a county corporate by the Great Charter of Elizabeth I. During the English Civil War, Poole’s puritan stance and its merchants’ opposition to the ship money tax introduced by King Charles I led to the town declaring for Parliament. Poole escaped any large-scale attack and with the Royalists on the brink of defeat in 1646, the Parliamentary garrison from Poole laid siege to and captured the nearby Royalist stronghold at Corfe Castle. Poole established successful commerce with the North American colonies in the 16th century, including the important fisheries of Newfoundland. Trade with Newfoundland grew steadily to meet the demand for fish from the Catholic countries of Europe. Poole’s share of this trade varied but the most prosperous period started in the early 18th century and lasted until the early 19th century. The trade followed a three-cornered route; ships sailed to Newfoundland with salt and provisions, then carried dried and salted fish to Europe before returning to Poole with wine, olive oil, and salt. By the early 18th century Poole had more ships trading with North America than any other English port and vast wealth was brought to Poole’s merchants. This prosperity supported much of the development which now characterises the Old Town where many of the medieval buildings were replaced with Georgian mansions and terraced housing. The end of the Napoleonic Wars and the conclusion of the War of 1812 ended Britain’s monopoly over the Newfoundland fisheries and other nations took over services provided by Poole’s merchants at a lower cost. Poole’s Newfoundland trade rapidly declined and within a decade most merchants had ceased trading. The town grew rapidly during the industrial revolution as urbanisation took place and the town became an area of mercantile prosperity and overcrowded poverty. At the turn of the 19th century, nine out of ten workers were engaged in harbour activities, but as the century progressed ships became too large for the shallow harbour and the port lost business to the deepwater ports at Liverpool, Southampton and Plymouth. Poole’s first railway station opened in Hamworthy in 1847 and later extended to the centre of Poole in 1872, effectively ending the port’s busy coastal shipping trade. The beaches and landscape of southern Dorset and south-west Hampshire began to attract tourists during the 19th century and the villages to the east of Poole began to grow and merge until the seaside resort of Bournemouth emerged. Although Poole did not become a resort, like many of its neighbours, it continued to prosper as the rapid expansion of Bournemouth created a large demand for goods manufactured in Poole. During World War II, Poole was the third-largest embarkation point for D-Day landings of Operation Overlord and afterwards served as a base for supplies to the allied forces in Europe. Eighty-one landing craft containing American troops from the 29th Infantry Division and the US Army Rangers departed Poole Harbour for Omaha Beach. Poole was also an important centre for the development of Combined Operations and the base for a US Coast Guard rescue flotilla of 60 cutters. Much of the town suffered from German bombing during the war and years of neglect in the post-war economic decline. Major redevelopment projects began in the 1950s and 1960s and large areas of slum properties were demolished and replaced with modern public housing and facilities. Many of Poole’s historic buildings were demolished during this period, particularly in the Old Town area of Poole. Consequently, a 6-hectare (15-acre) Conservation Area was created in the town centre in 1975 to preserve Poole’s most notable buildings.

Poole culture & places

Poole’s Summertime in the South is an annual programme providing various events on Poole Quay and Sandbanks from May until September. Poole Museum illustrates the story of the area and its people and the collections reflect the cultural, social and industrial history of Poole.

Poole landmarks

Poole Quay is a visitor attraction to the south of the town centre lined with a mixture of traditional pubs and listed buildings alongside new bars, redeveloped warehouses and apartment blocks. The Grade II* listed Customs House on the quay-front was built in 1814 and now functions as a restaurant and bar. Poole Bridge is the third bridge to be located on the site since 1834. The town’s sandy beaches are a popular tourist destination extending 3 miles along Poole Bay.

Poole geography / climate

Poole lies on the northern and eastern edges of Poole Harbour, 97 miles (156 km) west-southwest of London. The oldest part of the town (including the historic Old Town, Poole Quay and the Dolphin Shopping Centre) lies to the south-east of Holes Bay on a peninsula jutting into the harbour. Much of the land to the east of the peninsula has been reclaimed from the harbour since the mid-20th century. The town lies on unresistant beds of Eocene clays (mainly London Clay and Gault Clay)

Climate

The average annual mean temperature from 1971 to 2000 was 10.2–12 °C (50.4–53.6 °F) The warmest months in Poole are July and August, which have an average temperature range of 12 to 22 °C. Average annual rainfall of 592.6 millimetres (23.33 in) is well below the UK average.

You can visit Poole places with Walkfo Poole to hear history at Poole’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Poole has 61 places to visit in our interactive Poole map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Poole, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Poole places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Poole & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 61 audio facts unique to Poole places in an interactive Poole map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Poole Places Map
61 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Poole historic spots	Poole tourist destinations	Poole plaques	Poole geographic features
Walkfo Poole tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Poole

  

Best Poole places to visit

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Poole has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Poole’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Poole’s information audio spots:

Newtown, Dorset Newtown is a suburb in the town of Poole in Dorset . It has a population of 11,132, increasing to 12,515 at the 2011 census .

Poole Museum Poole Museum (formerly known as the Waterfront Museum) is a local history museum situated on the Lower High Street in the Old Town area of Poole, Dorset . The museum is the fifth most visited free attraction in South West England .

Oakdale, Dorset Oakdale is a suburb of Poole in Dorset with a population of 10,949, increasing to 11,554 at the 2011 Census . It shares boundaries with Creekmoor, Poole Town, Parkstone, Newtown and Canford Heath .

Pergins Island Pergins Island is a small, uninhabited island in Holes Bay, an embayment off Poole Harbour in Dorset . It is not accessible to the public .

Holes Bay Holes Bay is an intertidal embayment off Poole Harbour in the county of Dorset . It lies mostly within the Borough of Poole and is close to Poole town centre . It is an important wetland bird haven .

Upton House, Dorset Upton House is a country house in the grounds of Upton Country Park on the northwestern shoreline of Holes Bay in the county of Dorset on the south coast of England . It is owned by BCP Council .

Lilliput, Dorset Lilliput is a district of Poole, Dorset. It borders on Sandbanks, Canford Cliffs, Lower Parkstone, and Whitecliff. It has a shoreline within Poole Harbour with views of Brownsea Island and Purbeck Hills.

Baiter Park Baiter Park is part of Harbourside Park along with Whitecliff Park . The park is bordered to the north by Labrador Drive and Catalina Drive . It is to the east of Poole Town Centre .

Tower Park Tower Park is a leisure and retail park in Poole, Dorset . It was one of the first complexes of its kind in Europe when it opened in 1989 .

Creekmoor Creekmoor is a suburb of Poole, Dorset, with a population of 9,257, reducing to 9,180 at the 2011 census. Bordered by Upton Heath Nature Reserve and Upton Country Park, the area is mainly populated by families.

Visit Poole plaques