Poole Harbour

Poole Harbouris a large naturalharbourinDorset,southern England, with the town ofPooleon its shores. The harbour is a drowned valley (ria) formed at the end of the lastice ageand is theestuaryof several rivers, the largest being theFrome.The harbour has a long history of human settlement stretching to pre-Roman times. The harbour is extremely shallow (average depth 48 cm [19 in]), with one main dredged channel through the harbour, from the mouth to Holes Bay.

Poole Harbour
Aerial view of the harbour entrance, looking west-north-west. The large island just inside the entrance isBrownsea Island;to its left areFurzey Islandand thenGreen Island.
Poole Harbour Location in Dorset
Location	Dorset,England
Coordinates	50°41′45″N1°59′19″W
Surface elevation	0 metres (0 ft)
Ramsar Wetland
Official name	Poole Harbour
Designated	22 July 1999
Reference no.	1005

Poole Harbour has an area of approximately 36 km²(14 sq mi).It is one of several which lay claim to the title of "second largest natural harbour in the world" (afterPort Jackson,Sydney).

History

ThePoole Logboatwas excavated from Poole Harbour and is over 2,000 years old. It is on display inPoole Museum.

In 1964 during harbour dredging, the waterlogged remains of a 2,000-year-oldIron Agelogboat were found offBrownsea Island.Dated at about 295 BC, the 10 metres (33 ft)Poole Logboatis one of the largest vessels of its type from British waters. Its lowfreeboardwould have limited its use to within Poole Harbour.

Poole was used by theRomansas an invasion port for the conquest of southern England, who established the settlement atHamworthy,now the western half of Poole. ARoman Roadran north from Hamworthy through a fort at Lake Farm,Ashington,toBadbury Rings,a Roman transport hub.At the time of theNorman Conquest,Poole was a small fishing village.

The port grew, and in 1433 Poole was made Dorset'sPort of the Staplefor the export of wool.MedievalPoole had trading links from theBalticsto Italy. In the 17th century, the town began trading with North America, in particularNewfoundland,and the town became very wealthy. In the 18th century, Poole was the principalBritishport 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 toSouthampton,which had a deeper harbour and is closer to London. With regular dredging of a channel through the harbour, it has regained some importance.

DuringWW2,Poole Harbour hosted seaplane bases.

Dorset Yacht Co Ltd v Home Officewas decided in 1970.

The longest ship to enter the harbour is DFDS/LD Lines 186.5 metreNorman Voyageron 15 October 2013, with the second longest being the 167-metreArmoriqueofBrittany Ferries,which arrived in the port for the first time on 2 February 2010. The previous holder of that title was the 151-metreBretagne,which arrived in the port for the first time on 27 February 2007.

On 26 March 2023, an oil spill occurred in the harbour, originating from the oil field atWytch Farm,run byPerenco.The Poole Harbour Commissioners reported that around 200barrelsof "reservoir fluid" had leaked into Poole Harbour from one of the oil field's pipelines. TheEnvironment Agencydescribed it as a "major incident".

Geography and islands

Map of Poole Harbour

The entrance to Poole Harbour is from the east, viaPoole Bayand theEnglish Channel.Entering the harbour, heading west, on either side are the shores ofStudlandbeach (south west) andSandbanks(in particular, theHaven Hoteland the peninsula, north east). Directly ahead are several islands, the largest of which isBrownsea Island.

Four rivers drain into Poole harbour, the largest being theRiver Frome,which flows from the west throughDorchesterandWareham.The others are theRiver Piddle,theCorfe Riverand theSherford River.

View across the harbour looking west fromLilliput, Poole

Following the harbour anti-clockwise, heading north-east passes the built up residential settlements of Poole includingLilliputandParkstone(east). About 4 miles (6.4 km) north-west of the entrance of the harbour is the entrance to Poole Quay and the Holes Bay (see below). Directly west of the main part of Poole isHamworthy.Continuing anti-clockwise, heading west around the Harbour are the settlements ofUptonandWareham,as well as the outlet of theRiver Piddle.This area of water within the Harbour is known as Wareham Channel and includes other places such asRockley Sands.

Continuing anti-clockwise, now heading south are the majority of the islands within the Harbour as well as several small channels and inlets. To the west is Arne Bay and the Wych channel. The majority of land in this area isheathland,and there are few settlements, as opposed to the eastern part of the Harbour. Directly south isLong Island,Round Islandand Ower Bay.Green Island,Furzey IslandandBrownsea Island(in that order) are to the east, with Newton Bay and Brands Bay (this area has several oil wells) to the south. This area of water is known as the South Deep. Continuing anti-clockwise comes back to the entrance to the Harbour and toPoole Bay,with Studland beach immediately south-east.

Lytchett Baylies to the north of the Harbour and flows into it through a narrow channel near the edge of the suburb of Hamworthy. This is fed by the Sherford River.

Holes Bay

Main article:Holes Bay

Holes Bay is a tidal inland lake which lies to the north of Poole Harbour. It is a designated harbour quiet area. The entrance to the bay is a small inlet from the main harbour. Spanning the inlet are two bridges:Poole Bridgeand the newTwin Sails Bridge;the latter officially opened in 2012 and cost around £37,000,000. Access to Holes Bay for vessels with an air draft greater than 2.1 metres (6.9 ft) is only possible when the bridges are lifted, which occurs several fixed times daily and sometimes on request. The new bridge is intended to help reduce traffic jams by ensuring at least one bridge is open to vehicular traffic at any one time.

The bay containsPergins Island,and theSouth Western railway lineruns west to east on acausewayacross the bay. To the north of the bay isUpton Country Park.

Holes Bay is the location of theRoyal National Lifeboat Institution (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 theA350.

Parkstone Bay

Parkstone Bayis named after the suburb ofParkstone.Harbourside Parkwraps around the bay.

Islands of Poole Harbour

Green Island,one of the islands within Poole Harbour

Poole Harbour is the location of a number of islands, of various sizes. These islands include:

• Brownsea Islandis near the sea entrance at Sandbanks.
• Furzey Islandis south of Brownsea Island.
• Green Islandis directly south of Furzey island.
• Long Islandis near theArne Peninsula.
• Round Island
• Gigger's Islandis in the west of the Harbour near the River Piddle outlet.
• Drove Islandis in the south of the Harbour in Brands Bay.
• Pergins Islandis in the north of the Harbour in Holes Bay.
• Stone Islandlies between Brownsea and Studland. It is a ridge of gravel and sand, possibly the remains of an old recurved shingle spit, which is only visible between high tides, and as such is a danger to sailors. It is now gradually being submerged by rising sea-level.

Geology

A quiet corner of the harbour, looking south fromBrownsea Island

The harbour lies on a band of weak gravel and clay which is easilyerodedby the rivers and sea. This band is bordered by two bands ofchalk,thePurbeck HillsandIsle of Wightto the south, and theDorset DownsandSouth Downsto the north. The clay extends west up the Frome valley toDorchester,and would originally have extended east beyondPortsmouthin Hampshire. Before the lastice agethe River Frome continued to flow east through what is now theSolent,joining theStour,Beaulieu,Test,ItchenandHamble,before flowing into theEnglish Channelto the east of the present day Isle of Wight. A relativelyresistantchalk ridge ran continuously from the Purbeck Hills to the Isle of Wight, which the rivers could not break through.

When theglaciersof the north of the island of Great Britain melted, the south of England sank slightly, flooding the Solent valley andSouthampton Waterto form their characteristicrias(flooded estuaries). About 7,000 years ago, increased erosion from the sea and the increased flow caused by the change in climate broke through the chalk hills, cutting the Isle of Wight off from theIsle of Purbeckand flooding what is now the Solent and Christchurch Bay, leaving Poole Harbour as the estuary of the Frome.

Marine activity

Condor Ferriescar ferry passes through the harbour

Main article:Port of Poole

Once a major port, freight transport has declined, but the port is still served by regular cross-Channel passenger ferries, with Brittany Ferries offering a passenger and freight service to Cherbourg. Condor Ferries operate to the Channel Islands and St Malo.

Coastal trading vesselsare also frequent visitors, unloading various cargos on the quaysides at Hamworthy, and fleet offishing vesselsoperates from the south end ofPoole Quay.There is considerable leisure usage of the harbour, by a combination ofyachtsand other private craft,cruise boatsthat ply the harbour, andferriesthat provide a passenger link to Brownsea Island. The harbour is managed by the Poole Harbour Commissioners (PHC), who represent all aspects of commercial and leisure activity in the harbour.Their duties include maintaining the shipping channels for the ferries and cargo vessels, enforcing harbour speed limits, improving port facilities and assisting with nature conservation.

In November 2005 the main shipping channels into the harbour and the Port of Poole weredredgedto accommodate modern ferries at all states of the tide.The project was carried out byVan Oord,and on completion the depth had been increased from 6 to 7.5 metres (20 to 25 ft). Approximately 1.8 million cubic metres of sand and silt were dredged from the approach channels to the Harbour and port, and 1.1 million m³was made available to the local beaches of Poole, Bournemouth and Purbeck forbeach replenishment.

Poole Harbour Commissioners define the main shipping channels,in which leisure craft should take care, as:

• The Swash Channel from the Bar Buoy to the Chain Ferry
• The Haven Channel from the Chain Ferry to 16 buoy
• The Middle Ship Channel, from 16 buoy to Stakes
• Theturning basin,off the Ferry Port
• The Little Channel from Stakes to Poole Bridge.

B class Atlantic 85 lifeboat of the RNLI, stationed in Poole Harbour

Marinas

As well as the commercial activity discussed above, Poole is a major centre for sailing and motor boating.

• Poole Quay Boat Havenis the most central marina, situated immediately east of the Town Quay on the main road through the town centre – berth holders have to cross it to get to the showers!
• theTown Quayitself still accommodates larger visiting boats.
• Port of PooleMarinais a little south-west of there, close to the ferry terminal, and caters only for resident boats – no visitors.
• Poole Yacht Clubis a little further west, and welcomes visiting boats
• Parkstone Bay Marinatogether with the privateParkstone Yacht Clubare located in Parkstone Bay to the east
• Cobbs Quay Marinais in Upton Bay to the north-west, accessed only when the town Bridge (A350) is opened.
• Salterns Marinais by Lilliput and houses the formerPoole Harbour Yacht Club

There is an enormous number of moorings in the harbour, and many places to anchor.

Ecology and nature conservation

Looking south-west fromBrownsea Island–Furzey Islandis centre, withGreen Islanddirectly behind, to the left. Round Island can also be seen to the right of the picture with the Arne Peninsula behind it.

Much of the north side of the harbour is a built-up area, including the town ofPoole,and theconurbationwhich continues 10 miles (16 km) eastwards along the coast. The west and south sides of the harbour and part of thePurbeck Heritage Coastare important wildlife havens, as are the five large islands in the harbour, which are home to the endangeredred squirrel.The harbour is an area of international importance for wildlife conservation and is on theRamsarlist. It borders threenational nature reserves,including the internationally importantStudland and Godlingston Heath NNR,and a number oflocaland non-statutory nature reserves run by organisations such as theNational TrustandRSPB,notablyArne.The mouth of the harbour is partially blocked bySandbanks,aspiton the north, which is built up and part of Poole, and byStudlandto the south, which is another important wildlife area.

The harbour is very shallow in places and has extensivemud flatandsalt marshhabitats, as well as muddy and sandy shores andseagrass meadows.Being an extremely popularrecreationand tourism area means that the local authorities and organisations have to carefully manage the tourism to prevent damage to the habitats.

The south shore of the harbour, including Wytch Heath and Godlingstone Heath, is open heathland of little agricultural use. During the 20th century there was someafforestationwith conifer plantations. AroundWareham Forestin the west this has been for commercial forestry, but on the southern shore the plantations conceal theWytch Farmoil wells.

Three bird species occur in internationally important numbers:common shelduck,pied avocetandblack-tailed godwit.Other notable visitors includespoonbill,Sandwich ternandEurasian whimbrel.Once rare,little egretsare now seen regularly and in increasing numbers.

On 23 April 2022,ospreysnesting in Poole Harbour produced an egg, the first in southern England in modern times.The successful hatching is the first in 200 years.In August 2022, it was reported that one of the two chicks had been killed in a hawk attack.In May 2023, the only breeding pair of ospreys have hatched their first two chicks of the year.

Urbanisation and development

A wakeboarder riding down theWareham 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 privatemarinasaround the harbour. Due to this increase, Poole has seen a rise in the number of maritime-oriented businesses.

With the popularity of watersports such aswater skiing,wakeboarding,windsurfingandkitesurfing,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.

Poole Tourism has developed and signed a number of trails and circular walks, collectively called thePoole Harbour Trails,as well as thePoole Heritage Cycle Routefor cyclists.

A freight-only branch runs fromHamworthy railway stationto Poole Docks. However, the line is fenced off at the Poole Docks level crossing with a run-round loop provided at Hamworthy Park. In 2017, it was served by a weekly stone train. As of 2024, this has stopped and the line abandoned.

See also

• List of Dorset beaches
• Sandbanks Ferry

References

General

• Clark, G & Thompson, W.H., 1935.The Dorset 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 8 November 2004)

External links

• Poole Harbour Commissioners official web site
• Online Admiralty Chart of Poole Harbour
• UK Harbours Directory: Poole
• Poole Harbour Study Group
• Poole Harbour Webcam
• Poole Harbour Weather
• Map sourcesfor Poole Harbour

Photographs:

• Poole Harbour Dredging and Poole Bay beach replenishment