50º43N 1º59W, pop (2001e) 138 300. Port town in Dorset, S England, UK; located 6 km/4 mi W of Bournemouth; unitary authority from 1997; birthplace of Thomas Bell and John Le Carré; Poole harbour is Europe's largest natural harbour with cross-channel sailings to France and the Channel Is; ferries to the Isle of Wight and to nearby Brownsea Is, owned by the National Trust and home to the red squirrel; railway; Poole pottery and Purbeck pottery produced locally; Waterfront Museum, Compton Acres gardens, deer sanctuary; tourism.
| Borough of Poole | |
|---|---|
| Geography | |
| Status: | Unitary district, Borough |
| Region: | South West England |
| Ceremonial County: | Dorset |
|
Area: - Total |
Ranked 285th 64.88 km² |
| Admin. HQ: | Poole |
| Grid reference: | SZ009906 |
| ONS code: | 00HP |
| Demographics | |
|
Population: - Total (2005 est.) - Density |
Ranked 134th 137,100 2,113 / km² |
| Ethnicity: | 98.2% White |
| Politics | |
|
Borough of Poole http://www.poole.gov.uk/ |
|
| Leadership: | Leader & Cabinet |
| Executive: | Conservative |
| MPs: | Annette Brooke, Robert Syms |
| Post Office and Telephone | |
| Post Code: | BH |
| Post Town: | POOLE |
| Dialling Code: | 01202 |
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.
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
Prominent employers in Poole include Barclays Bank, Hamworthy Engineering, Poole Packaging, and Ryvita.
Geography
Poole is positioned on a popular stretch of coastline, with the resort of Bournemouth to the east, Studland and the Jurassic coast to the south-west.
Poole lies on the northern and eastern sides of Poole Harbour. The oldest part of the town (including the historic quarter of Poole, the Dolphin Shopping center, and the Civic Centre Park) lies to the south of the Holes Bay and the north of Poole Harbour. The Poole areas of Wallisdown, and Talbot Village houses students who attend Bournemouth University (the administrative area and main campus of which is in fact located in Poole itself).
Harbour
Poole Harbour (said to be the second largest natural harbour in the world after Sydney) has been a working port for many hundreds of years, though the port has declined somewhat as the shallow water cannot take the largest ships.
History
The Poole Harbour area has been inhabited for well over 2,000 years.
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.
At the turn of the 19th century, nine out of 10 workers in Poole were engaged in harbour activities, but as the century progressed ships became too large for the shallow harbour and the port began losing business to the deep water ports at Liverpool, Southampton and Plymouth.
In the 19th century the beaches and landscape of south-west Hampshire, as well as the Isle of Purbeck district of Dorset, began to attract large numbers of tourists and the villages to the east of Poole began to grow and merge until the holiday town of Bournemouth emerged.
| Year | Regional Gross Value Added | Agriculture | Industry | Services |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 2,740 | 4 | 665 | 2,071 |
| 2000 | 4,142 | 2 | 890 | 3,250 |
| 2003 | 4,705 | 2 | 898 | 3,804 |
↑ Components may not sum to totals due to rounding
Culture, recreation, and entertainment
Poole Harbour is a popular location for watersports because it is sheltered and calm. Poole Harbour is also one of the largest centres for sailing in the UK with many yacht clubs including Lilliput Sailing Club, Parkstone Yacht Club and Poole Yacht Club.
Poole's best known sports team is its motorcycle speedway team, the Poole Pirates.
Poole's oldest football team is Poole Town FC which plays in the Wessex League Premier Division.
Poole has a variety of entertainment sites, such as the out-of-town development Tower Park, the refurbished arts centre now known as The Lighthouse, Poole town centre itself and Bournemouth's many clubs, bars and restaurants.
Places of interest
Sandbanks Brownsea Island Tower Park Poole Bay Compton Acres Gardens Poole PotteryTransport
The majority of local bus services in Poole are provided by Wilts and Dorset who are based at the town’s bus station.
User Comments Add a comment…