greatly in recent years. recent in greatly

of that “it standith almost as an isle in the haven”. The view has changed changed has view The haven”. the in isle an as almost standith “it that Poole of Poole traders, pirates and smugglers left to make their fortunes. their make to left smugglers and pirates traders, Poole

low ground projecting into the great Harbour. The Tudor antiquary Leland said said Leland antiquary Tudor The Harbour. great the into projecting ground low largest in the world, lies at the heart of Poole’s history – it is from here that that here from is it – history Poole’s of heart the at lies world, the in largest

called Holes Bay until the 19th century. Soon the Old Town becomes visible on on visible becomes Town Old the Soon century. 19th the until Bay Holes called This great harbour, one of the the of one harbour, great This

Tram terminus c1910 terminus Tram eet bay, Parkstone bay being being bay Parkstone bay, eet fl Long as known was this Originally Island. Pergins the edge of Poole Harbour itself. itself. Harbour Poole of edge the

Returning up the drive you can now cycle along the shores of Holes Bay passing passing Bay Holes of shores the along cycle now can you drive the up Returning Towngate Street, showing level crossing and crossing level showing Street, Towngate and Emerson Road to emerge on on emerge to Road Emerson and C.

We now pass along Green Road Road Green along pass now We DOWN TO THE TOWN THE TO DOWN

Green Road via a cyclepath link. cyclepath a via Road Green

cross the roundabout and enter enter and roundabout the cross The thatched building is used by schools as a centre for educational activities. educational for centre a as schools by used is building thatched The

merchant JJ Norton in 1887. We We 1887. in Norton JJ merchant reconstruction of the sort of building that might have stood here 2000 years ago. ago. years 2000 here stood have might that building of sort the of reconstruction

Borough by the redoubtable timber timber redoubtable the by Borough lovely gardens. Close by is the Romano-British farm, an archaeologically correct correct archaeologically an farm, Romano-British the is by Close gardens. lovely

of Art and Museum (4) given to the the to given (4) Museum and Art of ora and fauna of the the of fauna and ora fl the on panels interpretative has Centre Heritage The

ce of the Free Library, School School Library, Free the of ce fi edi

ower beds. ower fl the amongst cent Victorian Victorian cent fi magni the is Street

Near the Heritage Centre you can glimpse the gravestones of a pet cemetery cemetery pet a of gravestones the glimpse can you Centre Heritage the Near Around the corner in Lagland Lagland in corner the Around

. here) from left view historic the

included the Doughtys and the Llewellyns. the and Doughtys the included

(Photo C is is C (Photo Street High the Cross

that he even lost the family silver in a bet on a maggot race. Subsequent owners owners Subsequent race. maggot a on bet a in silver family the lost even he that

the Napoleonic Wars and in 1830 Spurrier was declared bankrupt. It is said said is It bankrupt. declared was Spurrier 1830 in and Wars Napoleonic the Beech Hurst (3) built for Samuel Rolles in 1798. in Rolles Samuel for built (3) Hurst Beech

went into decline at the end of of end the at decline into went we emerge in North Street, and ahead one is faced with the impressive bulk of of bulk impressive the with faced is one ahead and Street, North in emerge we

Back of Upton House c.1920’s - 1930’s - c.1920’s House Upton of Back A.

based on salt cod. This trade trade This cod. salt on based yover, yover, fl the alongside then and under Road Vanguard along passed Having

Newfoundland trade which was was which trade Newfoundland

hills across the harbour. the across hills

of the Spurriers came from the the from came Spurriers the of

Men working on line at Poole station c1960 station Poole at line on working Men B.

seen nestling into the Purbeck Purbeck the into nestling seen MP for Bridport. The wealth wealth The Bridport. for MP

stronghold of Corfe Castle can be be can Castle Corfe of stronghold Poole’s “Merchant Princes” and and Princes” “Merchant Poole’s

Baiter, on a clear day the Royalist Royalist the day clear a on Baiter, Christopher Spurrier, one of of one Spurrier, Christopher

and Parliament. Once we get to to get we Once Parliament. and shoreline. (1) This was built for for built was This (1) shoreline.

Poole was staunchly for Cromwell Cromwell for staunchly was Poole acres of woodland, parkland and and parkland woodland, of acres

throughout the Civil War when when War Civil the throughout listed building set in over 100 100 over in set building listed

withstood the Royalist forces forces Royalist the withstood mansion which is a Grade II II Grade a is which mansion

gate around here. These defences defences These here. around gate , an early 19th century century 19th early an , A) (Photo

ed ed fi forti a and dyke a by defended We start at Upton House House Upton at start We

entrance to Poole used to be be to used Poole to entrance

the Heritage Centre, has regularly changing exhibitions. changing regularly has Centre, Heritage the The The B) (Photo station. railway

kiosk at the house or in the heritage centre. The Peacock Art Gallery upstairs in in upstairs Gallery Art Peacock The centre. heritage the in or house the at kiosk Towngate Bridge(2), next to the the to next Bridge(2), Towngate

with the bike on the car or by other means. Refreshments can be obtained at a a at obtained be can Refreshments means. other by or car the on bike the with We enter the town under the the under town the enter We

arriving by bike on the Trailway/Roman road, or the Hamworthy cycleways, cycleways, Hamworthy the or road, Trailway/Roman the on bike by arriving

ALONG THE (LONG GONE) NORTHERN DEFENCES NORTHERN GONE) (LONG THE ALONG

Upton Country Park provides a good place to start your heritage trip, either either trip, heritage your start to place good a provides Park Country Upton

railway station, and turn right. turn and station, railway

we need to cross the dual carriageway via the Toucan lights towards the Poole Poole the towards lights Toucan the via carriageway dual the cross to need we farthing signs along the route. the along signs farthing

national training centre and workshops. At the entrance to the Asda carpark, carpark, Asda the to entrance the At workshops. and centre training national numbers refer to points on the map. Look out for the penny penny the for out Look map. the on points to refer numbers

store. You will also see the national headquarters for the RNLI, with their new new their with RNLI, the for headquarters national the see also will You store. Route 25 from Frome to Poole. Throughout the tour, the the tour, the Throughout Poole. to Frome from 25 Route

Newfoundland trade, most now replaced. JJ Nortons yard has become the Asda Asda the become has yard Nortons JJ replaced. now most trade, Newfoundland Most of the route now forms part of the National Cycleway Cycleway National the of part forms now route the of Most

the railway arrived. To the right used to be timber wharfs, a relic of the the of relic a wharfs, timber be to used right the To arrived. railway the A circular route between Upton Country Park and Poole Town Centre. Centre. Town Poole and Park Country Upton between route circular A

show the historic shoreline, but these too are on land reclaimed when when reclaimed land on are too these but shoreline, historic the show

POOLE HERITAGE CYCLE ROUTE CYCLE HERITAGE POOLE Approaching the town, the Victorian houses to the left, on Sterte Esplanade Esplanade Sterte on left, the to houses Victorian the town, the Approaching

Poole Heritage Cycle Route Upton Country Park to Poole Town Centre Poole Heritage Cycle Route Without tea or pub stops, the Heritage trail is around a one hour cycle, or a 3 hour walking route. We hope you will, however, take time to enjoy the heritage along the route, and explore beyond the sample of sites mentioned in this leafl et. Both ends of the cycle trail link to the network of Poole Cycleways. A leafl et showing cycleways across the conurbation is available. Poole Railway Station, on the London Waterloo to Weymouth mainline is on the route, and Hamworthy Station is a short cycle from the Upton Country Park terminus. Car parks at Upton Country Park, Whitecliffe Park, Baiter, and Poole Park are convenient for the route. Parking charges may apply. Many Wilts and Buses, www.wdbus.co.uk and the Yellow Bus numbers 1b,1c and 26 www.yellowbuses.co.uk run to Poole Town Centre, from where the route can be joined on foot. The red bus 128 stops at the Country Park. There is also a walking ‘Cockle’ trail around the central portion of Poole Old Town.

Poole Studio portrait of two young ladies with bicycles c.1915 Poole Quay c.1911

S H Y O I T The Heritage P L M O B I Cycle Route is The Route is the result of co-operation a Millennium between Poole Agenda 21 Transport Giving freedom of movement to Festival Project Group and the Borough of Poole those who fi nd walking diffi cult A cycle ride of approximately 7½ miles, Printed on recycled paper. Designed 2000, updated 2008 by Andy Hadley, Poole Agenda 21 www.pa21.org.uk visiting places of historic interest. Photos reproduced with permission from and thanks to Poole Museum Services. Not to be reproduced in any form without permission from Poole Museum Services. Contacts: Poole Agenda 21 see website Borough of Poole Cycling Offi cer 01202 262066 Further information on cycling in Poole at www.boroughofpoole.com BAITER PARK storehouse known in Northern Europe. The Town Cellars are now part of Turning right at the Waterfront Museum (10) where you can learn more of the story of Poole. end of Green Road, the cycleway leaves the road, and you can explore MANSIONS OF OLD POOLE the open land of Baiter. Thames Street takes us into the heart of Georgian Poole. If we pause at the Historically, Baiter was a junction with Church Street we can see a group of buildings that form a narrow peninsula. (Photo testament to the prosperous days of Poole’s dominance of the Newfoundland D) The ancient maps of trade in the 18th and early 19th centuries. This trade saw goods and men the area show a windmill shipped from Poole across the Atlantic. Off Newfoundland the most prolifi c (near 5) on Baiter and the fi shing grounds in the world were exploited for millions of cod which were dried town archives refer to a and salted. Poole ships then took the salt cod to the West Indies to feed the slave D. Fishermans Dock looking east, showing old Lifeboat station, storehouse for gunpowder plantations and to the Catholic countries of southern Europe. Back came wine, Gasworks and Baiter Peninsular c1930s at a safe distance from salt and olive oil to the port of Poole. Vast fortunes were made by families such the Old Town (6). as the Lesters who built the Mansion House (11) and the Slades who built West There was also an isolation hospital in use until 1936. The National Cycleway End House (12) at the far side of the square. continues towards Poole Park (Photo E), Lilliput, and the Route 2 linking to and Turning right to go up Church Street we have St James Church (13) on the the Purbecks via the chain ferry, left. This was built in 1820 to replace a medieval church. Inside the structure is but we retrace our tyre tread supported by giant pillars made at the foundations of what may up from the trunks of massive have been the powder house. pine trees brought back from Newfoundland. On the other At low tide, the outline of the side of Church Street is the old fi rst public swimming pool can Church School bombed in the be seen (near 5). Built in 1890, Second World War. salt water and tidal, it was replaced by one in Poole Park in Church Street is a delight of the 1930s. Georgian domestic architecture with occasional medieval E. Start of Cycle race, Poole Park c.1915 buildings such as St George’s FISHERMANS DOCK Almshouses (14) with origins G. Market Street showing Guildhall and old Returning towards the town we pass through the hard of Fishermen’s’ Dock. in the 15th century. We pass Police Station to right Here are the modern inheritors of a tradition that goes back over 2000 years. seamlessly into Market Street Opposite is Brownsea Island (now a one way street) to be faced by the Guildhall (15) an elegant Georgian off which an Iron Age logboat building of 1761. (Photo G) Originally the arches under the Guildhall were (dated 300 BC) was discovered open and the ground fl oor used for market stalls. The impressive room above in 1964. was used for Council meetings and courts, and then when the town fell on hard times, the building was rented to a farmer to store hay. It has now been restored Next we pass Poole Old and put to good use as the Poole Registry Offi ce. Lifeboat Station (7) built in 1882. It now houses the We fork right at the Guildhall steps and follow the side of the building to the retired lifeboat – the Thomas corner by the main road. This is the site of the assassination of Alderman Kirkwright – which served Horatio Hamilton, a one-time mayor of Poole, shot by a discontented water pilot Poole from 1939 to 1962 and in 1886. The sunken garden to the right contains the town maypole – a modern participated in the Dunkirk revival of an old Poole tradition, also in early May, Market Street hosts the F. U.S. Coastguard vessels, Poole Quay c.1944 evacuation. The museum Poole Cockle Festival. is open daily. Close by is a Note: If following the route in reverse, you are advised to continue to the High memorial plaque to the United States Coastguard a fl otilla of which was based Street, turn right and right again into New Street. Pause at the junction with on Poole Quay during World War II saving many hundreds of lives. (Photo F) Market Street to admire the Guildhall, then turn left towards the church.

THE QUAYS LEAVING THE OLD TOWN Poole Pottery, known around the world, used to stand on the site of Dolphin Cross the main road (New Orchard), and through the gap to Hill Street and left Quays on our right. This is followed by the Fish shambles, a modern into Dear Hay Lane. We see ahead the Blue Boar pub (16) once the home of the reproduction, but a covered market historically stood on the same site. Now we Adey family of wine merchants. Cross Dear Hay Lane to reach Market Close are on Poole Quay a delightful mix of historic pubs and warehouses punctuated passing the Lodge of Amity on the left – home of the oldest Masonic Lodge in by narrow alleys. Ahead rises the modern sculpture, Sea Music (8), by Sir Dorset. Further up the close, on the right, is Sir Peter Thompson’s House (17) Anthony Caro. Opposite are the boatyards and Quays of Hamworthy reminding – Dorset’s fi nest Georgian town house built in 1749, and used as the Town Hall us that Poole is still a working port. Steel, timber, oil and gravel are offl oaded, before 1923. but much of the quay is now devoted to building Sunseeker Speedboats, famously used in James Bond fi lms, and exported worldwide. Love Lane takes us down to busy West Street. Be careful as you cross here and also when you cross West Quay Road. We pass alongside the headquarters of the The Environment Agency have built a sea defence wall along this stretch. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (18) an honoured Poole resident. On West practical purpose is to prevent waves in winter from overtopping the quay wall, Quay Road, we pass between the training centre and workshops (on the left), but it incorporates seating and some interesting carvings of items associated and headquarters (on the right) of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. If with Poole and the sea. A contrafl ow cycleway takes us along the New Quay you climb the steps to the viewing platform, you’ll be surprised to be just above to the bottom of the High street. Ahead lies the third Poole lift bridge, built in the swimming pool surface, and may witness trainees and equipment being put 1927. through their paces. Shortly after Sea Music, between the Harbour offi ce and the magnifi cent There will be more change in this area soon, the new Poole Twin Sails Bridge Custom House (9), we turn right into Thames Street. We immediately pass will provide a second crossing link to Hamworthy. West Quay Road takes us between the ancient Town Cellars on the right and the King’s Hall of the back to the Town Gate roundabout and so to the cycle track back to Upton King Charles on the left. Once this was one building – the longest medieval House. We hope that you have enjoyed this glimpse of Poole’s rich heritage.