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| Poole is a large coastal town
and seaport in Dorset on the south coast of England. The town is 32
kilometres (20 mi) east of Dorchester, and Bournemouth adjoins Poole
to the east. The Borough of Poole was made a unitary authority in
1997, gaining administrative independence from Dorset County Council.
The town had a population of 138,288 according to the 2001 census,
making it the second largest settlement in Dorset. Human settlement
in the area dates back to before the Iron Age. The earliest recorded
use of the town’s name was in the 12th century when the town began
to emerge as an important port, prospering with the introduction of
the wool trade. In later centuries the town had important trade links
with North America and at its peak in the 18th century it was one
of the busiest ports in Britain. During the |
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| Second World War the town was one
of the main departing points for the D-Day landings of the Normandy
Invasion. Poole is a tourist resort, attracting visitors with its
large natural harbour, history, the Poole Arts Centre and award-winning
beaches. The town has a busy commercial port with cross-Channel freight
and passenger ferry services. The headquarters of the Royal National
Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), luxury yacht manufacturer Sunseeker,
and Merlin Entertainments are located in Poole, and the Royal Marines
have a base in the town's harbour. Poole is home to Bournemouth University,
The Arts Institute at Bournemouth and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.
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| Poole’s economy is more balanced than the rest
of Dorset. In the 1960s prosperity was fuelled by growth in the manufacturing
sector, whereas the 1980s and 1990s saw expansion in the service sector
as office based employers relocated to the area. The importance of
manufacturing has declined since the 1960s but still employed approximately
17% of the workforce in 2002 and remains more prominent than in the
economy of Great Britain as a whole. Sunseeker, the world's largest
privately-owned builder of motor yachts and the UK's largest manufacturer,
is based in Poole and employs over 1,800 people in its Poole shipyards.
It was estimated in 2004 that Sunseeker generates £160 million for
the local economy. Other major employers in the local manufacturing
industry include Sealed Air, |
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Hamworthy Heating, Hamworthy Combustion,
Lush, Penske Cars Ltd (who build racing cars for Penske Racing), Kerry
Foods, Precision Disc Casting, Siemens, Southernprint and Ryvita.
Poole has the largest number of industrial estates in South East Dorset,
including the Nuffield Industrial estate, Mannings Heath and the Arena
Business Park. Industrial Estate sites are in high demand further
developments are under construction such as the Poole Trade Park near
Tower Park and the Branksome Business centre.
The service sector is the principal economy of Poole; a large number
of employees work for the service economy of local residents or for
the tourist economy. During the 1970s, Poole’s less restrictive regional
planning policies attracted businesses wishing to relocate from London.
These included employers in the banking and financial sector, such
as Barclays Bank (who operate a regional HQ in Poole), American Express
Bank and the corporate trust division of Bank of New York Mellon.
Other important service sector employers include Link House Publications,
the national headquarters and Lifeboat College of the Royal National
Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), the UK headquarters of Fitness First,
Bournemouth University and Poole NHS Primary Care Trust. Poole is
also the headquarters for Merlin Entertainments, the world's second-largest
theme park operator after Disney. The Dolphin Shopping Centre is Poole's
main retail area, and the largest indoor shopping centre in Dorset.
It opened in 1969 as an Arndale Centre, and underwent three major
refurbishments in 1980, 1989 and 2004. The centre provides 47,000
square metres (510,000 sq ft) of retail space with 110 stores and
two multi-storey car parks with 1,400 parking spaces. A pedestrianised
high street containing shops, bars, public houses and restaurants
connects the Dolphin Centre with the historic Old Town area and Poole
Quay. Tourism is important to the Poole’s economy and was worth an
estimated £158 million in 2002. Poole's Harbour, quay, Poole Pottery
and the beaches are some of the main attractions for visitors. The
visitor accommodation consists of hotels, guest houses and bed and
breakfast rooms located around the town, particularly in Sandbanks
and the town centre. Rockly Park, a large caravan site in Hamworthy,
is owned and operated by Haven and British Holidays. |
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| Poole Quay is a visitor attraction
to the south of the Old Town, lined with a mixture of traditional
public houses, redeveloped warehouses, modern apartment blocks and
historic listed buildings. Once the busy centre of Poole's maritime
industry, all port activities moved to Hamworthy in the 1970s as the
Quay became increasingly popular with tourists. The Grade II* listed
Customs House on the quay-front was built in 1814 and now functions
as a restaurant and bar. Nearby is the Grade I listed Town Cellars,
a medieval warehouse built in the 15th century on the foundations
of a 14th century stone building, and now home to the local history
centre. Scalpen's Court, another Grade I listed building on the quay,
also dates from the medieval era. The Poole Pottery production factory
once stood on the eastern end of |
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the Quay but the site was redeveloped into a luxury
apartment block and marina in 2001, although an outlet store remains
on the site. Boats regularly depart from the quay during the summer
and provide cruises around the harbour and to Brownsea Island, the
River Frome and Swanage. Public artworks along the Quay include
‘Sea Music’ – a large metal sculpture designed by Sir Anthony Caro
– and a life-size bronze sculpture of Robert Baden-Powell created
to celebrate the founding of the Scout Movement. At the western
end of the quay near the mouth of Holes Bay is Poole Bridge. Built
in 1927, it is the third bridge to be located on the site since
1834.
Poole's sandy beaches are a popular tourist destination extending
4.8 kilometres (3.0 mi) along Poole Bay from the Sandbanks peninsular
to Branksome Dene Chine at the border with Bournemouth. The beaches
are divided into four areas: Sandbanks, Shore Road, Canford Cliffs
Chine and Branksome Chine. Poole's beaches have been awarded the
European Blue Flag for cleanliness and safety 21 times since 1987,
more than any other British seaside resort. In 2000, the Tidy Britain
Group resort survey rated Poole's beaches among the top five in
the country. Along the seafront there are seaside cafés, restaurants,
beach huts and numerous water-sports facilities. Royal National
Lifeboat Institution Beach Rescue lifeguards patrol the coastline
in the busy summer season between May and September.
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