Foreword As I was hovering high above the sea, suspended by an aquatic flyboard, I couldn’t help but think, ‘Isn’t Poole wonderful?’ I had the same thought as I sipped locally made sparkling wine in a vineyard. And again as I wandered around the former garden of a literary legend. In fact, I thought, ‘Isn’t Poole wonderful?’ 111 times throughout the process of researching and writing this book. When I began, I imagined that I’d struggle to find 111 things in Poole that would be worthy to include – places that were not only interesting but also little-known and somewhat quirky. Boy, was I wrong! The places I discovered could have filled two books. Some spots I had previously passed thousands of times without giving a second glance – too busy, too preoccupied. But writing 111 Places in Poole opened my eyes. Now when I see something that looks like it might have a story attached – a statue, a plaque, a wonky tree – I vow to Google it when I get home. Perhaps this book will inspire the same curiosity in you. Technically, a lot of the entries aren’t in Poole per se. My rule of thumb when I was researching was that everything should be, more or less, within a 30-minute drive of Poole. I didn’t venture to Bournemouth as that could be an entire book in itself. I’ve done my darndest to make sure that I have all my facts straight, but if I have included any errors please accept my apologies. Note that in the ‘Getting There’ sections, for places in the Isle of Purbeck and Wareham, I have given driving instructions, but you may choose to take the chain ferry to Studland, then find your way from there. Some of the places I’ve written about are well-known – Poole Park, Durdle Door, Old Harry Rocks – but I’ve sneaked past the obvious to discover something surprising. Whether you’re a visitor to Poole or a seasoned local who thinks you know everything about your hometown, my hope is that this book will not only make you smile, but also leave you raising your eyebrows and saying, ‘Well, I never…’
111 Places 1_ A. R. Wallace’s Grave
The evolution of one-upmanship | 10
2_ Aquatic Jetpacks
To infinity and beyond! | 12
3_ Assyrian Frieze Candy cash | 14
4_ Aunt Mimi’s Plot
A legend’s house reimagined | 16
5_ Barford Ice Cream Get the scoop | 18
6_ Benjamin Jesty’s Grave
A bovine breakthrough | 20
7_ Bermuda Triangle Bar
Beware you don’t get lost | 22
8_ Blandford Fashion Museum
Would you like dyes with that? | 24
9_ Branksome Viaducts
An arch enemy struck | 26
10_ Briantspuddle Dairy Milking it | 28
11_ Broad Stones
What live streaming used to look like | 30
12_ Broadstone Tapestry A stitch in time | 32
13_ Chain Ferry Cross
A unique ferry crossing | 34
14_ Chococo
Cocoa bean, cocoa gone | 36
15_ Clavell Tower
Relocation, relocation, relocation | 38
16_ Clouds Hill Sleeping Bag Return of the sack | 40
17_ Constitution Hill
I spy a stunning view | 42
18_ The Courtyard Tea Rooms
How do you like your eggs? Haunted! | 44
19_ The Crown Hotel
Who you gonna call? | 46
20_ Deans Court Bridge
Sisters are doin’ it for themselves | 48
21_ The Dorset Bookshop Buy some time | 50
22_ Durdle Door
Where rock meets, er, rock | 52
23_ The Earthouse
Once upon a time… | 54
24_ English Oak Vineyard
Be transported to cloud wine | 56
25_ Fame Ship Rudder
This man is wrecked | 58
26_ Farehouse Trading Co.
Feeling hot, hot, hot | 60
27_ Fenners Field Oak Tree
Really branching out | 62
28_ Forget Me Not Garden
Anything but garden variety | 64
29_ The Forgiveness Window
If at first you don’t succeed… | 66
30_ Fort Henry
A wartime relic standing strong | 68
31_ The Grand Cinema
Lights… Camera… Bingo! | 70
32_ Grange Arch
From Dorset with love | 72
33_ The Great Globe
See the world | 74
34_ Guildhall Bullet Mark
Gunning for respect | 76
35_ Gulliver’s Farm & Shop
The local rogue who was dying to escape | 78
36_ Hall & Woodhouse Brewery
Badger Beer: the beast from the yeast | 80
37_ Halsewell Mirror
Reflecting on a tragic shipwreck | 82
38_ Hinton Martell Fountain His tray runneth over | 84
39_ Hotel du Vin Fireplace
Something fishy is going on | 86
40_ J. R. R. Tolkien’s Plot
He liked it, so he put a ring on it | 88
41_ Jerk Shak
Spice is the variety of life | 90
42_ Kent Road
Didn’t she do well! | 92
43_ Keyneston Mill
Making scents of botanicals | 94
44_ Kingston Lacy Snowdrops
Take time to stop and upskirt the flowers | 96
45_ Knoll House Hotel
Five go mad in Dorset | 98
46_ Komainu at Compton Acres
Every end is a new beginning | 100
47_ Lady Wimborne Bridge She loved structure | 102
48_ Lady Wimborne Cottages
Charity begins at home | 104
49_ Leatherbound Lion
The mane attraction | 106
50_ Longham Lakes
The back-up plan | 108
51_ Lush Cosmetics’ First Shop
So much more than bath bombs | 110
52_ Marconi Lounge
Radio times | 112
53_ Mathmos Lava Lamp Shop
Are you ready to get groovy? | 114
54_ Mayim UK Mermaid Academy A shore thing | 116
55_ Memory and the Tideline Defending one’s art | 118
56_ Minnie Baldock’s Plot She gets my vote | 120
57_ Nina Camplin Dog Mural
How much is that doggie in the window? | 122
58_ No. 67 High Street
Head(s) this way | 124
17__ Constitution Hill I spy a stunning view
John Le Carré, author of Tinker, Tailer, Soldier, Spy, was born in Poole in 1931. Having been described as ‘the world’s greatest fictional spymaster’ (sorry, Ian Fleming), as a child, he and his brother would play with cap guns at Constitution Hill in Parkstone. Notorious for shunning publicity and staying out of the limelight, the same can’t be said for his family, who were well-known locally. His grandfather was the mayor of Poole, and his uncle spent time as an MP for East Dorset, a deacon at the Parkstone Congregational Church, the chairman of Poole Town FC and, for the 20 years until 1962, a Poole magistrate. Le Carré’s mum, Olive, was living at The Homestead, 22 Penn Hill Avenue, when she met his father, Ronald. They moved into a house on Brownsea View Avenue, which is where Le Carré was born. Little did Olive know that her beau would turn out to be a flashy conman and later be jailed for insurance fraud. She herself was no angel and abandoned her son at the age of five. It’s not only Le Carré (whose real name is David Cornwell) who enjoyed playing at Constitution Hill as a youngster; the same spot holds many happy memories for other Poole locals. Whether it was running down the hill as fast as possible, watching storms roll over Poole, or ‘courting’ the object of one’s desire, it’s a special place for many. So special, in fact, that the inscription on one of its benches reads: ‘This is where it all started! Married April 1941. In loving memory of Anne and Norman Knight.’ The view over Poole Harbour and beyond is magnificent. A monument points out what you can see in the distance and how far away it is, with Hardy’s Monument the farthest at 22 miles. Sitting on a bench, with the beautiful vista in front of you, it’s the perfect spot to sit and think. Or sit and read. Word is that John Le Carré’s books are worth a gander. 42
Address Constitution Hill, Parkstone BH14 0QB | Getting there Bus 17 towards Bournemouth to Felton Road | Tip For another gorgeous view of Poole Harbour, head to Evening Hill (BH14 8HR), where many a marriage proposal has occurred.
18__ The Courtyard Tea Rooms
How do you like your eggs? Haunted!
Ever eaten eggs inspired by a ghost? Now’s your chance! The spinach and mushroom Eggs Annabelle are named after this cosy tea room’s resident ghost, who – according to staff – likes to turn lights on and leave bin lids in the middle of the floor. Perhaps she hasn’t properly ‘passed over’ yet because she’s reluctant to leave the tempting array of breakfasts, light lunches, homemade cakes and scones on offer. And who can blame her? The tea menu alone – which boasts 24 flavours, many blended in-house, such as the fruity Mango Boost or the smoky Russian Caravan – is enough to elude the afterlife for. Formally a laundrette, antiques shop and add-on to the neighbouring florist, these quaint tea rooms were also once believed to be a tavern for rum-swilling pirates. They date back to the 16th century, with one wall and most of the flagstone flooring hailing from this era. Tunnels are said to run under the building, used by smugglers to transport their contraband to and from the quay. Such criminal activity is now long gone and the only rebellion you’ll find is the encouragement to shirk unnecessary housework – with a sign reading: ‘Life is too short to fold fitted sheets’. With a capacity of just 37, the height of summer often sees queues of eager scone-scoffers and flapjack-fiends snaking around the corner. The awards the establishment has won is testament to the fact that it’s worth the wait. A real suntrap, the courtyard comes complete with a fossilised tree stump, climbing plants and winding wisteria. The perfect oasis to tuck into a sandwich named after local sights – who’s for a Brownsea or a St James (ch. 88)? Perhaps an excerpt from a poem written by a customer says it best: ‘It’s tiny but it’s cosy; often busy, always friendly… For tea and talk and teacake, the only place to be.’ Annabelle would certainly agree. 44
Address 48a High Street, BH15 1BT, +44 (0)1202 670358, www.thecourtyardtearooms.co.uk, mail@thecourtyardtearooms.co.uk | Getting there 10-minute walk from Poole Bus Station, 4-minute walk from Poole Quay | Hours Sept – Dec: Wed 10am – 4pm, Thu –Sun 9am – 4pm; Jan – Mother’s Day: Wed & Sun 10am – 4pm, Thu – Sat 9am – 4pm; Mother’s Day – end of June: as Sept – Dec; July – Aug: as Sept – Dec plus Mon 9am – 4pm; all bank holiday Mon 10am – 3pm | Tip For another tea treasure trove, head to It’s Tea at 219 Ashley Road. It stocks more than 350 teas and infusions (www.itstea.co.uk).
71__ Pterosaur Skull Fossil A head for politics
Fossils are a lot of things: fascinating, intriguing, enigmatic and, in the case of this 155-million-year-old pterosaur skull, political. Discovered in Kimmeridge Bay in 2009 by local fossil hunter Steve Etches, the long, pointy head reminded him of the caricature of Margaret Thatcher – the ‘Torydactyl’ – drawn by satirical artist Gerald Scarfe, so he and a fellow researcher named it Cuspicephalus scarfi. On display in The Etches Collection fossil museum, which holds over 2,000 of Steve’s incredible prehistoric finds, the fossilised head of this flying reptile is the most significant pterosaur skull to be found in the UK for around 200 years. It is 326mm long, which is similar in size to the skull of a stork or heron. Scarfe donated the use of his ‘Torydactyl’ drawing to the museum, and it’s been put on a T-shirt on sale in the gift shop. Kimmeridge Bay is part of the famous Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, which brims with fossils. Etches, who found his first fossil at the age of five, heads out to the bay two or three times a month (sometimes with Charlie Newman, the landlord of the Square & Compass pub: ch. 86), hoping for that adrenaline rush he feels when he unearths a new discovery. Some trips he returns emptyhanded; others he may be dragging back a slab of rock as heavy as 63.5 kg by himself. One of the larger fossils in the museum is the two-metre jaw of a giant pliosaur, a mega predator in the Kimmeridge seas. The world’s first fossilised ammonite eggs are also on display, as are fossilised barnacles, like the ones Charles Darwin studied to explore his theory of evolution. Etches has been adding to his collection for over 35 years and, when it comes to fossils, he’s certainly been there, done that and got the T-shirt – as can you if you want to sport an Iron Lady / pterosaur hybrid on your chest. 150
Address The Etches Collection, Kimmeridge, Wareham BH20 5PE, +44 (0)1929 270000, www.theetchescollection.org, info@theetchescollection.org | Getting there By car, A 350, A 35, A 351 and Grange Road to Kimmeridge. The pterosaur skull fossil is in the main exhibition room, on your right upon entering. | Hours Daily 10am – 5pm (except 24, 25 and 26 Dec) | Tip Be a fossil hunter yourself at Kimmeridge Bay, a five-minute drive from the museum. Note that you can only enter via a toll road.
72__ Purbeck Mineral & Mining Museum Make clay while the sun shines
Had it not been for Purbeck clay, your nan’s china collection would have looked very different. Josiah Wedgwood, founder of the worldrenowned fine china company Wedgwood, signed his first contract for 1,400 tons of Purbeck ball clay per year in 1771. The potter and entrepreneur had spent years searching for clays that were as white as possible when he was introduced to ball clay, a rare, fine-textured clay found only in a few places across the globe, including Devon and Purbeck. He used it as a key ingredient in his creamware, aka ‘Queen’s Ware’. But using clay for pottery was nothing new. Clay has been dug in Purbeck since the Bronze Age, and the Romans manufactured it here on an industrial scale. The Purbeck Mineral and Mining Museum (operated by Swanage Railway), which took over a decade and 30,000 volunteer hours to set up, was opened in 2014 by Antique Roadshow’s Paul Atterbury and MP Richard Drax. It’s located on the site of the old Norden Clay Works, in one of the last remaining mine buildings, which closed in 1999. After you’ve learned about the history of the ball clay industry, the railways that served it (including Dorset’s first railway, the Middlebere Plateway, which transported around 10,000 tons of clay each year), and the lives of the workers, you can make like Jamiroquai by ‘going deeper underground’ into the mine tunnel. Walk along the tracks which would once have transported clay-filled tubs up to the outside world with the use of a winch. The winchman and the miners communicated by pulling on a cable that ran underground. Yanking on it would ring a bell, and the number of rings gave different instructions: one ring for ‘stop’, two for ‘haul up’, three for ‘haul down’… seven for ‘have a beer waiting, mate’ (note: this last one may be fictitious). In the museum, be sure to look up to see – and pull on – this cable. Ding! 152
Address Norden Car Park, Wareham BH20 5DW, +44 (0)1929 481461, www.purbeckminingmuseum.org | Getting there By car, A 350, A 35 and A 351, at Norden Roundabout, take the first exit, turn left; bus Breezer 40 towards Swanage to Norden Bridge | Hours 11am – 5pm, Apr Sat & Sun, plus Good Friday & Easter Monday; May – Sep Tue – Thu, Sat, Sun & bank holidays; Oct Sat & Sun | Tip Outside the museum, follow signs for ‘sidings’, turn left into the field and you’ll see Corfe Castle peeking through the trees.
Katherine Bebo is a professional freelance writer and editor. Her career has taken her to London, Dubai and Denver in the USA… but now she’s back home where her heart is: Poole (where she lives with her husband and two children). She has had a handful of books published – on topics ranging from films to fitness, cocktails to outer space – plus many features for well-known publications and websites.
Oliver Smith is a commercial photographer with more than 15 years’ experience shooting properties, people and places all across the South of England. Following an extensive background in art and design, he gained his BA (hons) degree in photography in 2002 and ran a photographic laboratory for two years, before going freelance as Oliver Smith Photography. He lives with his wife and two children in Poole, where he continues to work amongst the high-end interiors and architectural market. His work has featured in a wide range of regional magazines, as well as national newspapers.