Map sources for Poole Harbour at grid reference SZ020880

Poole Harbour is a harbour in Dorset, southern England, with the towns of Poole and Wareham on its shores. The harbour is a drowned valley formed at the end of the last ice age and is the estuary of several rivers, the largest being the Frome. The harbour has a long history of human settlement stretching to pre-Roman times. The harbour is extremely shallow (average depth: 48cm), with one main dredged channel through the harbour, from the mouth to Holes Bay in Poole. Once a major port, freight transport has declined, but the port still takes regular cross-Channel passenger ferries. Image File history File links Dot4gb. ... Image File history File links Gb4dot. ... The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using latitude or longitude. ... A harbor (or harbour) or haven is a place where ships may shelter from the weather or are stored. ... Dorset (pronounced DOR-sit or [dÉ”.sÉ™t], and sometimes in the past called Dorsetshire) is a county in the south-west of England, on the English Channel coast. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... Poole is a coastal town, port and tourist destination, situated on the shores of the English Channel, in the ceremonial county of Dorset in southern England. ... Wareham is a historic market town in the Purbeck district of Dorset, England. ... Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 400 000 years For the animated movie, see Ice Age (movie). ... Estuaries and coastal waters are among the most productive ecosystems on Earth, providing ecological, economic, cultural, and aesthetic benefits. ... The River Frome is a river in Dorset in the south of England. ... Satellite view of the English Channel The English Channel (French: La Manche (IPA: ), the sleeve) is the part of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the island of Great Britain from northern France and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. ...

It is one of several which lay claim to the title of "second largest natural harbour in the world by navigational area," (including Cork Harbour in Ireland, and Halifax Harbour in Canada). Cork Harbour is the second largest natural harbour in the world by navigational area. ... Halifax Harbour, October 13, 2006. ...

History

A 10 metre log boat dated at 295 BC, found preserved in the mud off Brownsea Island, is the earliest known artefact from the harbour. Poole was used by the Romans as an invasion port for the conquest of southern England, who established the settlement at Hamworthy, now the western half of Poole. A Roman Road ran north from Hamworthy to Badbury Rings, a Roman transport hub. At the time of the Norman Conquest Poole was a small fishing village. Centuries: 4th century BC - 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC Decades: 340s BC 330s BC 320s BC 310s BC 300s BC 290s BC 280s BC 270s BC 260s BC 250s BC 240s BC 300 BC 299 BC 298 BC 297 BC 296 BC 295 BC 294 BC 293 BC 292... Brownsea Island boat jetty seen from the Poole to Brownsea ferry. ... Roman invasion of Britain: Britain was the target of invasion by forces of the Roman Republic and Roman Empire several times during its history. ... Map sources for Hamworthy at grid reference SY992912 Hamworthy is a parish and inner suburb of Poole in Dorset, England. ... A Roman road in Pompeii Road Construction on Trajans Column The Roman roads were essential for the growth of their empire, by enabling them to move armies. ... Badbury Rings Badbury Rings is an iron age hill fort in east Dorset, England, dating from 800 BCE and in use until the Roman occupation of 43 CE. The 330 ft (100 m) high, 7 hectare fort is encircled by three 40 ft (15 m) ramparts and four Bronze Age... Bayeux Tapestry depicting events leading to the Battle of Hastings The Norman Conquest of England was the conquest of the Kingdom of England by William the Conqueror (Duke of Normandy), in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings and the subsequent Norman control of England. ...

View across the harbour in summer

The port grew and in 1433 Poole was made Dorset's Port of the Staple for the export of wool. Medieval Poole had trading links from the Baltics to Italy. In the 17th century the town began trading with North America, in particular Newfoundland, and the town became very wealthy. In the 18th century Poole was the principal British port trading with North America. At the start of the 19th century 90% of Poole's population's employment was directly dependent on the harbour, but this dropped to 20% during the century as the railways reached the town, and deep hulled boats moved up the coast to Southampton, which had a deeper harbour and is closer to London. With regular dredging of a channel through the harbour it has regained some importance. The largest ship to enter the harbour is Brittany Ferries 20,133 tonne Barfleur which began operating from the port in 1992. On 27 February 2007 the 24,534 tonne Bretagne will arrive in the port for the first time and become the largest ship to enter the harbour. Download high resolution version (1280x960, 340 KB)View across Poole Harbour, Purbecks in the distance (middle), sandbanks to the left and the end of Brownsea Island, taken june 2003 I, the creator of this image, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Download high resolution version (1280x960, 340 KB)View across Poole Harbour, Purbecks in the distance (middle), sandbanks to the left and the end of Brownsea Island, taken june 2003 I, the creator of this image, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Events Births June 23 - Francis II, Duke of Brittany Kettil Karlsson Vasa, later Regent of Sweden. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ... The Baltic Sea The Baltic states, or Baltic countries, is a term which usually refers to three countries to the East of the Baltic Sea: Estonia Latvia Lithuania It ought to be noted that although the present-day Baltic countries are republics, the term Baltic Republics refers to the same... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... For other uses, see Newfoundland (disambiguation). ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Southampton is a city and major port situated on the south coast of England. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... The M/V Barfleur is a ferry operated by Brittany Ferries. ... Media:rofl. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The M/V Bretagne is a ferry operated by Brittany Ferries. ...

It was at Poole Harbour in 1969 that Michael Palin emerged from the sea as the "It's" man in the first scene from the first episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus. Palin revisited the spot in 1999 in the BBC special Pythonland. This show commemorated the thirtieth anniversary of the airing of the first episode by visiting the locations where several Monty Python sketches were filmed. Michael Edward Palin, CBE (born May 5, 1943) is an English comedian, actor and television presenter best known for being one of the members of the comedy group Monty Python and for his travel documentaries. ... Monty Pythons Flying Circus (also known as Flying Circus, MPFC or just Monty Python during the fourth season) was a highly popular, surreal BBC sketch comedy show from Monty Python, and the groups initial claim to fame. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is one of the largest broadcasting corporations in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the UK alone and with a budget of more than £4 billion. ...

In 1964 during an archeological dig by the York Trust, the fortified remains of a 2000 year old Iron Age longboat were found. It has been kept in storage for ten years, until recently where it has now been preserved and cleaned and is due to be placed in a new home at the Local Poole Museum. The log boat, which carried up to 18 people, would have been based at Green Island in the harbour. It is thought to have been used for continental trade and was estimated to have weighed 14 tonnes. Iron Age Axe found on Gotland This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age, for the mythological Iron Age see Iron Age (mythology). ...

Geology

A quiet corner of the harbour, looking south from Brownsea Island

The harbour is in a band of weak gravel and clay which is easily eroded by the rivers and sea. This band is bordered by two bands of chalk, the Purbeck Hills and Isle of Wight to the south, and the Dorset Downs and South Downs to the north. The clay extends west up the Frome valley to Dorchester, and would originally have extended east beyond Portsmouth in Hampshire. Before the last ice age the River Frome continued to flow east through what is now the Solent, joining the Stour, Beaulieu, Test, Itchen and Hamble, before flowing into the English Channel to the east of the present day Isle of Wight. A relatively resistant chalk ridge ran continuously from the Purbeck Hills to the Isle of Wight, which the rivers could not break through. When the glaciers of the north of the island of Great Britain melted, the south of England sank slightly, flooding the Solent valley and Southampton Water to form their characteristic rias (flooded estuaries). About 7,000 years ago, the increased erosion from the sea, and the increased flow caused by the change in the climate, broke through the chalk hills cutting the Isle of Wight from the mainland and leaving Poole Harbour as the estuary of the Frome. Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 254 KB)A quiet corner of Poole Harbour. ... Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 254 KB)A quiet corner of Poole Harbour. ... Severe soil erosion in a wheat field near Washington State University, USA. For erosion as understood by materials science, see Erosion (materials science) For erosion as an English analogy, see Erosion (figurative) Erosion is the displacement of solids (soil, mud, rock and other particles) by the agents of wind, water... The Needles, part of the extensive Southern England Chalk Formation. ... The Purbeck Hills form a headland where they meet the sea at Old Harry Rocks Corfe Castle guards a gap in the ridgeway At Lulworth Cove the sea has broken through the Limestone, eroded away the weak clays and exposed the chalk of the Purbeck hills The Purbeck Hills are... The Isle of Wight is an English island and county, off the southern English coast, to the south of the county of Hampshire. ... The Dorset Downs shown within Dorset The Dorset Downs are an area of Chalk downland in the centre of the county Dorset in south west England. ... Near Beachy Head The South Downs is one of the two areas of chalk downland in southern England. ... OS Grid Reference: SY690906 Lat/Lon: Population: 16,171 (2001 Census) Dwellings: 7,386 (2001 Census) Formal status: County town Administration County: Dorset Region: South West Nation: England Post Office and Telephone Post town: Dorchester Postcode: DT1 Dialling Code: 01305 Dorchester Dorchester is a market town in southern central Dorset... For other places with the same name, see Portsmouth (disambiguation). ... Hampshire, sometimes historically Southamptonshire or Hamptonshire, (abbr. ... Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 400 000 years For the animated movie, see Ice Age (movie). ... Satellite image showing the Solent, separating the Isle of Wight from mainland Britain The Solent is a stretch of sea separating the Isle of Wight from the mainland of Great Britain. ... Sturminster Newton water mill on a July evening. ... The Beaulieu River is small river flowing south through the New Forest in the county of Hampshire in southern England. ... The Test downstream of Sadlers Mill, Romsey The Test is tidal in Southampton and is lined with quays The River Test is a river in Hampshire, England. ... The Itchen near Ovington. ... See also Rivers of the United Kingdom Categories: UK geography stubs | Rivers in Hampshire ... Satellite view of the English Channel The English Channel (French: La Manche (IPA: ), the sleeve) is the part of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the island of Great Britain from northern France and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. ... The Isle of Wight is an English island and county, off the southern English coast, to the south of the county of Hampshire. ... Resistance can mean one of: electrical resistance antibiotic resistance resistance to a disease (see related subject immunology) a political resistance movement military resistance against foreign occupation geological resistance fluid resistance thermal resistance This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the... A glacier is a large, long-lasting river of ice that is formed on land and moves in response to gravity and undergoes internal deformation. ... Fawley oil refinery from Netley Hospital. ... Georges River, in the southern suburbs of Sydney (Australia) is a ria, or drowned river valley. ...

Ecology and nature conservation

Condor Ferries car ferry passes through the harbour

Much of the north side of the harbour is a built up area, including the town of Poole, and the conurbation which continues 10 miles eastwards along the coast. The west and south sides of the harbour and part of the Purbeck Heritage Coast and are important wildlife havens, as are the five large islands in the harbour which are home to the rare Red Squirrel. The harbour is an area of international importance for wildlife conservation and borders 3 National Nature Reserves, including the internationally important Studland and Godlingston Heath NNR, and a number of local and non-statutory nature reserves run by organisations such as the National Trust and RSPB. The mouth of the harbour is partially blocked by Sandbanks, a spit on the north, which is built up and part of Poole, and by Studland to the south, which is another important wildlife area. Download high resolution version (1962x1353, 395 KB)Condor Ferries Express trimaran car ferry passes through Poole Harbour. ... Download high resolution version (1962x1353, 395 KB)Condor Ferries Express trimaran car ferry passes through Poole Harbour. ... Poole is a coastal town, port and tourist destination, situated on the shores of the English Channel, in the ceremonial county of Dorset in southern England. ... A conurbation is an urban area comprising a number of cities, towns and villages which, through population growth and expansion, have physically merged to form one continuous built up area. ... Purbeck is a local government district in Dorset, England, named for the Isle of Purbeck. ... A Heritage Coast is a strip of coastline designated by the Countryside Agency in England and Wales. ... Binomial name Sciurus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 For the North American Red Squirrel, see American Red Squirrel. ... National Nature Reserves in England are managed by English Nature and are key places for wildlife and natural features in England. ... Studland is a small village in Dorset, England famous for its beaches and Nature Reserve. ... The standard of the National Trust The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as The National Trust, is a British preservation organization. ... The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is Europes largest wildlife conservation charity. ... Sandbanks Ferry Sandbanks is a small spit jutting out over the mouth of Poole Harbour near Bournemouth in the south of England. ... Spit may refer to: Look up spit in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Poole is a coastal town, port and tourist destination, situated on the shores of the English Channel, in the ceremonial county of Dorset in southern England. ... Studland is a small village in Dorset, England famous for its beaches and Nature Reserve. ...

Four rivers drain into Poole harbour, the largest being the River Frome, which flows from the west through Dorchester and Wareham. The harbour is very shallow in places and has extensive mud flat and salt marsh habitats, as well muddy shores, sandy shores and seagrass meadows. The area is an extremely popular recreation and tourism area, and local authorities and organisations have to carefully manage the tourism to prevent damage to the habitats. The River Frome is a river in Dorset in the south of England. ... The main road through Dorchester Dorchester is a market town in south west Dorset, England, situated on the River Frome and A35 road 20 miles west of Poole and five miles north of Weymouth. ... Wareham is a historic market town in the Purbeck district of Dorset, England. ... Mudflats are relatively flat, muddy regions found in intertidal areas. ... This article is about marsh, a type of wetland. ... Halophila johnsonii (Johnsons seagrass) in the coast of Florida Seagrass (or sea-grass in British English) are flowering plants from four plant families (Posidoniaceae, Zosteraceae, Hydrocharitaceae and Cymodoceaceae) that grow in the marine saline environment. ... People participating in summer luge as a form of recreation, in the Vosges. ... Tourists at Oahu island, Hawaii Tourism is the act of travel for predominantly recreational or leisure purposes, and also refers to the provision of services in support of this act. ...

The south shore of the harbour, include Wytch Heath and Godlingstone Heath is open heathland of little agricultural use. During the 20th century there has been some afforestation with conifer plantations. Around Wareham Forest in the west this has been for commercial forestry, but on the southern shore the plantations conceal the Wytch Farm oil wells. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... Afforestation is the process of converting open land into a forest by planting trees or their seeds. ... Wareham Forest is a large coniferous plantation beside the A35 road near Wareham, between Poole and Dorchester, in Dorset, England. ... Wytch Farm is an oil field and oil refinery in the Purbeck district of Dorset, England, the largest onshore oil field in Europe. ... An oil well is a laymans term for any perforation through the Earths surface designed to find and release both petroleum oil and gas hydrocarbons. ...

Urbanisation and development

A wakeboarder riding down the Wareham channel

Due to the ever increasing popularity of pleasure boating in the United Kingdom, the harbour has seen a rapid increase in the private ownership of pleasure vessels over the past decade, most of which are housed in private marinas around the harbour. Due to this increase, Poole has seen a rise in the number of maritime-oriented businesses. Image File history File linksMetadata Wakeboarderpoole. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Wakeboarderpoole. ... Wareham is a historic market town in the Purbeck district of Dorset, England. ... A small marina at Brixham, Devon, England. ... Poole is a coastal town, port and tourist destination, situated on the shores of the English Channel, in the ceremonial county of Dorset in southern England. ...

With the popularity of watersports such as Water skiing, Wakeboarding, Windsurfing and Kitesurfing, Poole Harbour Commissioners have designated areas within the harbour almost exclusively for sport participation - virtually unrestricted from most regular harbour rules. Poole is also fortunate in that wind conditions are variable; wind conditions can be calm for sports such as Wakeboarding), and a short while later strong for sports such as Windsurfing. Most of these sports benefit from the harbour's generally flat water conditions. As a result, local watersport businesses operate around the harbour. water skiing with motorboat // Water skiing is a surface water sport and recreational activity is often said to have been invented in Lake City, Minnesota in 1922 by Ralph Samuelson, though some claim that it was pioneered at least as early as 1920 in France [1]. It is popular in... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A windsurfer with modern gear tilts the rig and carves the board to perform a planing gybe (downwind turn) close to shore in Maui, Hawaii, one of the popular destinations for windsurfing. ... Kiteboarders use inflatable kites tethered to harnesses to glide through water and air. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A windsurfer with modern gear tilts the rig and carves the board to perform a planing gybe (downwind turn) close to shore in Maui, Hawaii, one of the popular destinations for windsurfing. ... Wall Street, Manhattan is the location of the New York Stock Exchange and is often used as a symbol for the world of business. ...

Islands of Poole Harbour

Poole Harbour is the location of several islands. These include:

• Brownsea Island is near the sea entrance at Sandbanks.
• Furzey Island is south of Brownsea Island.
• Green Island is directly south of Furzey island.
• Long Island is near the Arne Penisular.
• Round Island
• Giggis Island is in the west of the Harbour near the river Piddle outlet.
• Drove Island is in the south of the Harbour in Brands Bay.
• Pergis Island is in the north of the Harbour in Holes Bay.

Brownsea Island boat jetty seen from the Poole to Brownsea ferry. ... Furzey Island is one of several islands in Poole Harbour in Dorset, England. ... Green Island is one of the eight islands that are situated in Poole Harbour, Dorset. ...

Holes Bay

The entrance to the bay is a small inlet from the main harbour, designated as a harbour quiet area. Access for vessels with a draft greater than 2 metres is only possible when Poole Bridge is lifted, which occurs at several fixed times every day and sometimes on request. Although it is a separate bay, Holes Bay is often considered part of the Poole harbour area. To the north of the Bay is Upton Country Park and Pergis Island.

Holes Bay is the location of the RNLI training school, attached to their Poole headquarters. Uses of the bay include fishing, kayaking and small leisure craft. A large marina known as Cobbs Quay is on the west side of the bay. On its east side the bay runs parallel to the A350. RNLI Lifeboat at Calshot Spit The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is a charity dedicated to saving lives at sea around the coasts of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. ...

See also

• List of Dorset beaches

There are many beaches in Dorset, southern England, with most of them making up the UNESCO World Heritage Site, The Jurassic Coast. ...

External links

• UK Harbours Directory: Poole
• Poole Harbour Study Group
• Poole Harbour Weather
• Map sources for Poole Harbour

Photographs:

• Images of Dorset: Poole Harbour
• Poole Harbour Dredging and Poole Bay beach replenishment

References

• Clark, G & Thompson, W.H., 1935. The Dorest Landscape. London: A & C Black.
• Cochrane, C, 1970. Poole Bay and Purbeck, 300BC to AD1660. Dorchester, Longmans.
• Hutchings, M., 1965. Inside Dorset. Sherborne: Abbey Press.
• Poole Harbour Commission, The history of Poole Harbour (accessed 9 November 2004)