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Poole is a centre of sailing and yachting

Poole 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 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.

The town's name derives from the Old English pol which was given to people who lived near a small body of water such as a pool or pond. Variants include Pool, Pole, Poles, Poll, Polle, Polman, and Poolman.

The Viking Canute the Great and his army invaded and retook control of most of England in 1015. Canute led his fleet to Poole Harbour and occupied Brownsea Island, which he used as a base to raid and sack Wareham. Poole however remained a small fishing town until the time of the Norman Conquest.

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. As a result of this charter, Poole obtained the right to appoint a Mayor, to hold its own court in Poole, and exemption was granted on certain tolls and customs duties on goods from the Port.

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.

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. Poole was an important centre for the development of Combined Operations and it was the base for the US Coastguard’s ‘Rescue Flotilla One’ of sixty cutters. The cutters were assigned to each of the D-Day invasion areas, with 30 serving off of the British and Canadian sectors and 30 serving off the American sectors. 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.

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.

Poole Harbour is a location for watersports because it is sheltered and calm. The Sandbanks/Shore Road area is used for windsurfing and kitesurfing, with on-road (charged) parking adjacent to the harbour. Poole Harbour is also one of the largest centres for sailing in the UK with yacht clubs including Lilliput Sailing Club, Parkstone Yacht Club and Poole Yacht Club. Parkstone Yacht Club has been hosts of the OK World Championships, as well as being organisers of Youth Week and Poole Week, two of the largest dinghy regattas of their type in the country.

The Lighthouse is a regional arts centre, containing a cinema, concert hall and theatre. According to the Arts council of England it is the largest arts centre in the United Kingdom outside London.

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'.

Key facts:
Population: 136,900 (2006)
Unitary authority: Poole
County: Dorset


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