Brownsea Island, Poole, Dorset, BH13 7EE
Poole Harbour is one of the largest natural harbour’s in the world with a collection of Islands, one being Brownsea Island.
Brownsea Island is a unique and very special Island within Poole Harbour. Its not just there for me to sail and kayak around, althought I do enjoy doing this. Only two weeks ago, I took my sister sailing in a Laser 2000 dingy sailing boat around Brownsea Island with Shell Bay sailing. An RYA sailing academy with a range of sailing courses, situated on the other side of Sandbanks on the Studland Peninsula.
One of the reasons Brownsea Island is so special is the native red squirrel population coupled with thriving woodland, heathland and lagoon habitats creating a unique haven for wildlife. This is a great excursion and you can plan your own Island adventure.
History of Brownsea Island
In the 7th to the 9th century, Cerne Abbey owned Brownsea Island and hermit monks lived on the Island guiding boats into the harbour providing spiritual welfare. A chapel belonging to Cerne abbey stood on the island. Brownsea was not recorded in the Domesday Book (1086), which suggests there was little of value on the island. However, in 1534 Henry VIII (1491-1547) passed an Act of Parliament ordering the closure of every monastery in England and Wales, known as the dissolution of the monasteries and control of Brownsea Island was passed from Cerne Abbey to the crown. Henry VIII recognised the strategic importance of Brownsea in guarding the entrance to Poole Harbour and protecting the thriving port of Poole. He built a defensive blockhouse on Brownsea to defend Poole Harbour from French attack. Two of the blockhouse’s original walls form part of the historic core of Brownsea Castle. Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) granted the castle to one of her favourites, Sir Christopher Hatton. Hatton was also prominent in nearby Purbeck, acquiring lands and titles. Captains of the castle were rumoured to have given protection to some of the pirates in return for a share of the booty. Brownsea Castle was refortified during the English Civil War (1642–1651) when Poole sided with the Parliamentarians, also known as Roundheads. They were supporters of the Parliament of England and fought against King Charles I. The castle had a strong military presence throughout the conflict. When Charles II (1630 – 1685) returned from exile in 1660 the castle was owned by Robert Clayton, who later became Mayor of London. The blockhouse was converted from a defensive structure to a domestic residence in the early 18th century by William Benson (1682-1754), who bought Brownsea Island for £300 in 1726. The building was extended and remodelled selling to Sir Humphrey Sturt of More, who owned the island from 1765. He added wings to the castle, increased its height to four storeys and built the first farm on the island. In 1853 Brownsea was purchased by Colonel William Petrie Waugh and his wife, Mary. The couple had grand industrial plans for the island, including building a pottery in the south-west corner of the island. The Waughs purchased the island and invested heavily, expecting to make their fortune. They constructed a three-storey pottery on the south shore, complete with engines and brickworks. A horse-drawn tram brought clay from the north of the island. Colonel Waugh built a village for the pottery workers. It was called Maryland, after his wife. He also built the Church of St. Mary that remains open today. Unfortunately, the island’s clay turned out to be unsuitable for making fine china, so The Branksea Clay and Pottery Company made terracotta chimney pots and pipes instead. The business didn’t make enough money to cover the Waugh’s investment and the money they had spent on elaborate renovations to the castle. After just five years the Waughs were forced to declare bankruptcy. They fled to Spain and the island was put up for auction. The MP George Cavendish-Bentinck bought Brownsea in the 1870s. He turned his attention to improving agriculture on the island and introduced Guernsey and Jersey cows. A collection of farming tools and carts from this period are displayed outside the visitor centre. An avid art collector, Cavendish-Bentinck also furnished the castle grounds with Renaissance sculpture, including Venetian wellheads (decorative stone carvings on the barrel of a well). Some of the sculpture collection can still be seen in the churchyard and on the quayside. When Cavendish-Bentinck died in 1891, the island was bought by Major Kenneth Balfour. He introduced the Japanese sika deer to the island. You might spot them on a visit to the island. Major Balfour also established a peat-cutting industry and sent large quantities to London. In 1896 Brownsea Castle caught fire. There wasn’t a fire engine on Brownsea, and despite a ‘human bucket chain’ being formed by the islanders to try and put the fire out, the castle was destroyed. Balfour rebuilt the castle following the fire, complete with fire hydrants, before putting the island up for sale in 1901. In 1901 Brownsea was bought by the wealthy and well-connected couple Charles and Florence Van Raalte. They made the island their country retreat, building a 9-hole golf course and establishing country sports, such as shooting. Brownsea was known for its grandeur in the early 20century and the period is regarded as the island’s ‘heyday’. The castle was filled with musical instruments, including a piano that played Gilbert and Sullivan pieces. Music heavily influenced Charles and Florence van Raalte’s tenure: most new male employees had to be musicians and were required to play in the estate band. During this time, Mr Van Raalte employed 71 servants and workers, including a professional golfer and 12 crew members for his steam yachts that would bring wealthy and titled guests from across Europe to their summer island parties. During van Raalte’s ownership, Brownsea was largely self-supporting with a kitchen garden and dairy herd. Many pottery workers had stayed on after the pottery closed, working and farming for various island owners. The community at this time was a small, but tight one. Although many who lived on the island referred to it as idyllic, the era was tinged by great sadness too. Of the 30 islanders that went to war in 1914, only six returned. Daffodils were grown on Brownsea in the 1920s and sold to the Covent Garden flower market. You can still see the undulating trenches where the daffodils were grown in Daffodil Field. You might even see daffodils in spring if the deer haven’t already nibbled them!
The birthplace of Scouting and Guiding
On 1 August 1907, 20 boys pitched their tents on Brownsea Island, little realising how important and far-reaching their week would be. Lord Baden-Powell’s (1857-1941) experimental camp, based on scouting skills observed during the Second Boer War (1899-1902), set the foundation for today’s worldwide Scouting and Guiding movements. The Siege of Mafeking (October 1899- May 1902) turned Lieutenant General Robert Baden-Powell into a household name in Britain. During the siege, Baden-Powell had been impressed by the courage and resourcefulness of the Mafeking Cadet Corps – a group of boys who supported the troops by carrying messages and helping in the hospital. Baden-Powell wanted to introduce some of the scouting and military skills he had seen in South Africa to boys back in Britain. He was keen to hold an experimental camp to test out some of his ideas. When Charles van Raalte invited him to hold the camp on Brownsea, he agreed. Baden-Powell valued the outdoors, nature, ethics and practical skills. He planned his eight-day camp to reflect this. The boys who attended were from mixed backgrounds: ten were from the Boys Brigades in Poole and Bournemouth and ten were from public schools.
The activities the boys took part in included:
- Tracking, fire lighting, cooking and observation
- Studying birds, animals, plants and the stars
- Sessions on loyalty, courage, unselfishness, charity and thrift
During the week-long camp, the boys learnt how to cook, look after themselves and work together as part of a team. Adventure, learning by doing and self-reliance were at the heart of the Brownsea Island camp. In the evenings, Baden-Powell inspired the boys with campfire ‘yarns’. The camp was a great success and its legacy lives on today. It is recognised by Scouts worldwide as the official start of the Scouting Movement. Soon after the camp, Baden-Powell published his book ‘Scouting for Boys’ (1908). Intended as advice for existing groups, such as the Boys’ Brigade, it quickly became the handbook for a new movement that spread worldwide to become Scouting and Guiding that we know today. In 1910, with the help of sister Agnes, Girl Guiding was launched to meet the increasing demand from girls who wanted to join in. By the time Baden-Powell died in 1941, the Scout Movement had grown into an international organisation. In 1908 it had 108,000 members. Today there are over 40 million Scouts and 10 million Guides across the world.
In 1927 Mrs Mary Bonham Christie bought Brownsea at auction for £125,000. She moved into Agent’s House on the quay and lived a very reclusive life. Mary had a great empathy for animals and under her tenure she banished fishing and allowed the farm animals to roam free. She also changed the way Brownsea was managed. Shooting and dairy farming ceased and the orchards and daffodil fields were left untended. The island gradually reverted to woodland and heathland, providing a wild and natural sanctuary for wildlife. However, invasive rhododendron also began to take over. Most of the estate workers were made redundant and returned to the mainland. As Poole and the surrounding areas continued to expand, Brownsea’s role as a wildlife refuge in the middle of the harbour became increasingly important.
In 1940 Brownsea provided a brief refuge to exhausted Dutch and Belgian refugees. In early 1941 a night decoy was established at the western end of Brownsea Island, with flares lit to draw German bombers away from Poole and Bournemouth. The decoy was successful, but as a result the estate cottages at Maryland, which had mostly been lying empty since 1927, were damaged. They were later demolished. The remains of Maryland village can still be seen on a walk around the island. Mary Bonham Christie died at the age of 96 in 1961.
The island was put up for sale by her family. Rumours circulated about Brownsea’s fate and the threat of its development. These included an application for permission to build 400 luxury homes on the island. Local conservationists led by Helen Brotherton mobilised to oppose the plans. They formed the Dorset Naturalists’ Trust (now Dorset Wildlife Trust) and launched a national campaign to save the island. It was agreed that Brownsea would be jointly managed by the National Trust and the Dorset Naturalists’ Trust. But £100,000 was still needed to fund the scheme. Helen Brotherton was key. She raised money from the local community and got the support of John Lewis & Partners and the Scouting Association. Businesses, individuals and charities all contributed to the effort to save Brownsea. In 1962 the National Trust acquired the island, with Dorset Wildlife Trust leasing and managing the northern part of the island and John Lewis & Partners leasing the castle as a hotel for their staff. The partnership between the National Trust, Dorset Wildlife Trust, John Lewis & Partners and Scouting and Guiding associations continues to this day.
Free trails help you explore the island and with the new natural play area and fantastic picnic spots, there’s an adventure waiting for the whole family.
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