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A ride of approximately 7.5 miles
The ride starts and ends at Upton Country Park
Refreshments can be obtained at a kiosk at the rear of the house. Toilets are located at the Heritage Centre and Car Park. (Please note the Car Park at Upton Country Park is locked at Sunset)
Please Allow 1 hour without tea or pub stops
Start at Upton House (1) an early 19th century mansion which is a grade 2 listed building set in over 100 aces of , Parkland and Shoreline. This was built for Christopher Spurrier one of Poole's "Merchant Princes" and MP for Bridport. The wealth of the Spurriers came from the Newfoundland trade which was based on Salt Code.
This trade went into decline at the end of the Napoleonic wars and in 1830 Spurrier was declared bankrupt. It has been said he lost everything. He even lost the family silver in a bet on a maggot race! Other owners included the Doughtys and the Liewellyns. Near the heritage Centre you can have a glimpse of the gravestones of a pet cemetery amongst the flower beds..The Heritage Centre has interpretative panels on the flora and fauna of the lovely gardens, Close by is the Romano-British farm, an archaeologically correct reconstruction of the sort of building that might have stood here 200 years ago.
Down to the Town
Going up the drive (past the car park) you now cycle through a wooded area (through a gate) and along the shores of Holes Bay passing Pergins Island. Originally this was known as Longfleet bay. Soon the Old Town becomes visible on low ground projecting into the great Harbour. The Tudor antiquary Leland said of Poole that "it standith almost as an isle of Haven"
Approaching the town, the Victorian houses to the left, on Sterte Esplanade show the historic shoreline, these are built on land reclaimed when the Railway arrived. To the right were the old timber wharfs, most now replaced. You will also see the National works for the RNLI (Please click here for website)
Along the (Long gone) Northern Defences
We enter the town (2) under the Towngate Bridge (For your own safety please use the crossing to get to the bridge) next to the Railway station. The entrance to Poole used to be defended by a dyke and a fortified gate around here. These defences withstood the Royalist forces throughout the Civil War when Poole was staunchly for Cormwell and Parliament. Once we get to Baiter, on a clear day the Royalist stronghold of Cofe Castle can be seen nestling into the Purbeck hills across the harbour
Moving along North Street one is faced with the impressive bulk of beech Hurst (3) built for Samuel Rolles in 1798
Around the Corner in Lagland Street is the magnificent Victorian edifice of the Free Library School of Art and Museum (4) given to the Borough by the redoubtable timber merchant JJ Norton in 1887
We enter Green Road and Emerson Road and emerge on the edge of Poole Harbour itself.
The great harbour, one of the largest in the world, lies at the heart of Poole's history-it is from here that Poole traders, pirates and smugglers left to make their fortunes.
Baiter Park
Turning right at the end of Green Road,the cycle route leaves the road and you can explore the open land of Baiter Historically Baiter was a narrow Peninsular. The ancient maps of the area show a windmill on Baiter (near 5) and town archives refer to a store house for gunpowder at a safe distance from the Old Town (6)
A cycleway continues towards Poole Park, Westbourne and Bournemouth, but we retrace our tyre tread at the foundations of what may have been the powder house.
At low tide, the outline of the first public swimming pool can be seen (near 5) Built in 1890, salt water and tidal, it was replaced by one in Poole Park in the 1930s and more recently in 1974 by the Dolphin Swimming Pool in Kingland Road.
Fisherman's Dock
Returning towards the town we pass through the hard of Fishermen's Dock. Here are the modern inheritors of a tradition that goes back over 200 years. Opposite is Brownsea Island off which an Iron Age log boat (dated 300 BC) was discovered in 1964.
Next we pass Poole old Lifeboat Station (7) built in 1882. It now houses the retired lifeboat-the Thomas Kirkwright- which served Poole from 1939 to n1962 and participated in the Dunkirk evacuation. The museum is open daily. Close by is a memorial plaque to the United States Coastguard, a flotilla of which was based on Poole quay during World War ll saving many hundreds of lives.
The Quays
Soon we arrive on Poole Quay a mix of historic pubs and warehouses punctuated by narrow alleys. Ahead rises the towering modern sculpture "Sea Music" (8) by Sir Anthony Caro. Opposite are the boatyards and Quays of Hamworthy, reminding us that Poole is still a working port. A contra-flow cycle lane takes us along the New Quay to the bottom of the High Street. Ahead of us lies the third Poole lifting bridge built in 1927.
Shortly after Sea Music, between the harbour office and custom House (9). we turn right into Thames Street. We immediately pass between the ancient Town Cellars on the right and the King's Hall of the King Charles on the left. Once this was one building-the longest medieval storehouse known in Northern Europe. The Town Cellars are now part of the Waterfront Museum (10) where you can learn more of the story of Poole.
Mansions of old Poole
(please do not cycle on the pavements of the Old Town)
Thames street takes us into the heart of Georgian Poole. If we pause at the junction with Church Street we can see a group of building that form a testament to the prosperous days of Poole's dominance of the Newfoundland trade in the 18th and early 19th centuries. This trade saw goods and men shipped from Poole across the Atlantic. Off Newfoundland the most prolific fishing grounds in the world were exploited for millions of Cod which were dried and salted. Poole ships then took the salt Cod to the West Indies to feed the slave plantations and to the Catholic countries of Southern Europe. Back came Wine, Salt and Olive oil to the port of Poole. Vast amounts of money were made by families such as the Lesters who built the Mansion House (11) and the Slades who built West End House (12) at the far side of the square .
Turning right to go up Church Street (13) we have St. James Church on the left Built in 1820 to replace a medieval church. Inside the structure is supported by giant pillars made up from the trunks of massive pine trees brought back from Newfoundland. On the other side of Church Street is the old Church School which was bombed in the Second World War.
Church Street is a delight of Georgian domestic architecture with occasional medieval building such as St George's Almshouses (14) With origins in the 15th century. we pass seamlessly into Market Street (Now a one-way Street) Please be aware of blind and partially sited People in this area. Facing Market Street is the Guildhall (15) , an elegant Georgian building of 1761. Originally the arches under the Guildhall were open and the ground floor used for market stalls. The impressive room above was used for Council meeting and courts. In the 19 century this building was even used by a farmer as a store room.
We fork right at the Guildhall steps and follow the side of the building to the corner of the main road. This is the site of the assassination of Alderman Horatio Hamilton, a onetime mayor of Poole, shot by a discontented water pilot in 1886. The sunken garden to the right contains the town maypole - a modern revival of an old Poole tradition , also in early May, Market Street hosts the Poole Cockle Festival.
Leaving the Old Town
Crossing the main road (please take care) (market Street), and turn left into Dear Hay Lane, we see ahead the Blue Boar pub (16) Once the home of the Adey family of wine merchants.
Bearing left at the Blue Bour we go up Market Close passing the Lodge of Anity on the left - Home of the oldest Masonic Lodge in Dorset. Further up the close, on the right is Sir Peter Thompson's House (17) - Dorset's finest Georgian town house built in 1749, and used as the Town Hall before 1923.
Turning right into Love Lane takes us down busy West Street. Take care as you cross here and when you cross West Quay Road. We pass alongside the headquarters of the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (Please click here for website) (18) , an honoured Poole resident.
West Quay Road takes us back to the Town gate junction (Traffic light controlled roundabout) and back on the cycle track back to Upton Country Park.
We Hope that you have enjoyed this glimpse of Poole's rich heritage.
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The route is a result of a partnership between
and
,
and supported by a grant from the Heritage Lottery fund.
