| Brownsea Island | |
|---|---|
 The castle and piers on Brownsea Island | |
  Brownsea Island Location withinDorset | |
| OS grid reference | SZ019879 |
| Civil parish | |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | POOLE |
| Postcode district | BH13 |
| Dialling code | 01202 |
| Police | Dorset |
| Fire | Dorset and Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
| 50°41′30″N01°58′20″W / 50.69167°N 1.97222°W /50.69167; -1.97222 | |
Brownsea Island is the largest of the islands inPoole Harbour, in the county ofDorset, England. The island is owned by theNational Trust, with the northern half managed by the Dorset Wildlife Trust. Much of the island is open to the public and includes areas of woodland andheath with a wide variety of wildlife, together with cliff top views across Poole Harbour and theIsle of Purbeck.
The island was the location of anexperimental camp in 1907 that preceded the publication ofScouting for Boys andThe Scout magazine in 1908. Access is by public ferry or private boat; in 2017 the island received 133,340 visitors.[1] The island's name probably comes fromOld EnglishBrūnoces īeg = "Brūnoc's island".[2]
Brownsea Island is the largest of eight islands in the harbour. The island can be reached by one of the public ferries or by private boat. There is a wharf and a small dock near the main castle. The island is1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) long and3⁄4 mile (1.2 km) wide and consists of 500 acres (200 ha) of woodland (pine and oak), heathland and salt-marsh.[3]
The entire island, except the church and a few other buildings which are leased or managed by third parties, is owned by the National Trust. Most of the buildings are situated near the small landing stage. The northern portion of the island is aNature Reserve managed byDorset Wildlife Trust and an importanthabitat for birds; this part of the island has limited public access. A small portion to the southeast of the island, along withBrownsea Castle, is leased to theJohn Lewis Partnership for use as a holiday hotel by partners, and is not open to the public.[citation needed]
The island forms part of theStudlandcivil parish within theDorsetunitary authority. It is within theSouth Dorset constituency of theHouse of Commons. Until 31 January 2020, it was also within theSouth West England constituency of theEuropean Parliament.[4][5]
Brownsea Island has built up on a baresand and mud bank deposited in the shallow harbour.Ecological succession has taken place on the island to create topsoil able to support ecosystems.[citation needed]
The nature reserve on the island is leased from the National Trust byDorset Wildlife Trust. This reserve includes a brackish lagoon and area of woodland. Otherecosystems on the island includesalt marsh,reedbed, two freshwater lakes,aldercarr,coniferous woodland,deciduous woodland andarboretum. In the pastinvasive species such asrhododendrons, also non-native, were introduced to the island, but the trusts have cleared many areas.[6] The entire island is designated aSite of Special Scientific Interest.
The island is one of the few places in southern England where indigenousred squirrels survive, largely because non-nativegrey squirrels have never been introduced to the island. The Brownsea red squirrel population is the only population known in the UK to carry the human form of the bacteria stemMycobacterium leprae that causesleprosy in humans.[7] Brownsea also has a small ornamental population ofpeacocks. The island has aheronry, in which bothgrey heron andlittle egret nest.
There is a large population of non-nativesika deer on the island. In the past the numbers have been higher than the island can sustain and have overgrazed. To try to limit damage to trees and other vegetation by deer, areas of the island have been fenced off to provide areas of undamaged woodland to allow other species such as red squirrels to thrive.[citation needed]
The lagoon is noted for the large population ofcommon tern andsandwich tern in summer, and a very large flock ofavocets in winter, when more than 50 per cent of the British population (over 1500) can be present.[citation needed]
Some imported stonework and statuary on the island serves as a habitat for a Mediterranean land snail,Papillifera bidens.[8]
The first records of inhabitants on Brownsea Island occurred in the 9th century, when a small chapel andhermitage were built by monks fromCerne Abbey nearDorchester. The chapel was dedicated toSt Andrew and the only resident of the island was ahermit, who may have administered to the spiritual welfare of sailors passing through Poole Harbour. In 1015,Canute led aViking raid to the harbour and used Brownsea as a base to sackWareham and Cerne Abbey.[9] In the 11th century the owner of the island was Bruno, who wasLord of the Manor ofStudland.[9] Following his invasion of England,William the Conqueror gave Studland, which included Brownsea, to his half-brother,Robert de Mortain. In 1154,King Henry II granted theAbbot of Cerne theright of wreck for the island and the abbey continued to control the interests of Brownsea for the following 350 years.[10]
After thedissolution of the monasteries, control of Brownsea passed tothe Crown.Henry VIII recognised the island's strategic importance of guarding the narrow entrance to the expanding port ofPoole. As part of a deterrent to invasion forces from Europe, the island was fortified in 1547 by means of ablockhouse, which became known as Brownsea Castle. In the following centuries, the island passed into the hands of a succession of various owners.
In 1576, QueenElizabeth I made a gift of Brownsea to one of her court favourites and rumoured lover, SirChristopher Hatton.[11] During theEnglish Civil War, Poole sided with Parliament and garrisoned Brownsea Castle. ColonelThomas Pride, the instigator ofPride's Purge– the only militarycoup d'état in English history – was stationed on the island in 1654.[12] SirRobert Clayton, aLord Mayor of London and wealthy merchant became owner in the mid-1650s and after his death in 1707 the island was sold toWilliam Benson, aWhig Member of Parliament and architect. He converted the castle into a residence and was responsible for introducing many varieties of trees to the island.[13]
In 1765 SirHumphrey Sturt, a local landowner and MP purchased the island, which in turn passed to his sons. Sturt expanded the castle and records suggest that he spent£50,000 on enhancing the island's gardens.[14]Sir Augustus John Foster, a retired British diplomat, bought the island in 1840. Foster experienced bouts of depression and died in Brownsea Castle in 1848 when he slit his throat.[15] In 1852 Brownsea was again up for sale and was sold for £13,000. It was purchased by William Waugh, a formerColonel in theBritish Army in the belief he could exploit the whiteclay deposits on the island to manufacture high-qualityporcelain.[16]
A three-storey pottery was built in southwest corner of the island together with atramway to transport the clay fromclay pits in the north. He hoped the clay would be of the same quality as the nearbyFurzebrook clay, but it turned out to be suitable only for sanitary ware. The company employed more than 200 people, but by 1887 the venture closed owing to a lack of demand and the poor quality of the clay.[17]
Traces of these activities remain today, mainly as building foundations and pottery fragments. Waugh was also responsible for expanding the number of buildings on the island – creating the now ruined village ofMaryland (named after Waugh's wife), as well as adding a new gatehouse and tower in theTudor style. Waugh also paid for the construction of a new pier, adorned withcastellated watch towers. Another large expenditure was the construction ofSt Mary's church, built in theGothic style, and also named after his wife. The foundation stone was laid bySir Harry Smith in 1853 and construction was completed a year later. Inside the church there is a monument to Waugh as well as the tomb of the late owner Charles van Raalte. In the church, Scout andGirl Guide flags line either side of the mainaltar.[citation needed]
After falling heavily into debt, the Waughs fled to Spain. The island was acquired by creditors and sold in 1873 toGeorge Cavendish-Bentinck, who addedJersey cows to Brownsea and expanded the island's agriculture. He filled the island with severalItalian Renaissance sculptures, some of which still decorate the church and the quay. The 1881census recorded a total population of 270 people on the island, the majority of whom provided a labour force for the pottery works.[18] After his death, the island was sold toKenneth Robert Balfour in 1891. Following the introduction of electric lighting, the castle was gutted by fire in 1896. It was subsequently rebuilt and, in 1901, Balfour put the island up for sale.[19]
The island was purchased by wealthy stockbrokerCharles van Raalte who used the island as a residential holiday retreat. During this time the castle was renovated and served as host to famous visitors such asGuglielmo Marconi.[21]Robert Baden-Powell had met the van Raaltes at an angling house party in Ireland. van Raalte suggested his Brownsea Island as the venue for Baden-Powell's experimentalcamp for boys in the summer of 1907. Brownsea was largely self-supporting, with akitchen garden and a dairy herd. Many of the pottery factory workers had stayed on after it closed, farming and working for the owners.[22]
Charles van Raalte died inCalcutta in February 1908 and his wife eventually left the island in 1925.
In 1927, the island was purchased at auction byMary Bonham-Christie for £125,000. Her entire family were from the London area and Kent - except that her daughter's husband's first cousin's husband was Arthur Soames whose family lived in Lilliput, within view of Brownsea Island. Arthur's sister was Olave Soames, the wife ofRobert Baden-Powell.
A recluse by nature, Mrs Bonham-Christie ordered a mass eviction of the Brownsea's residents to the mainland. Most of the island was abandoned and gradually reverted to natural heath and woodland. In 1934, a wild fire caused devastation after burning for a week. Much of the island was reduced to ashes, and the buildings to the east were only saved by a change of wind direction. Traumatised by the event, Bonham-Christie banned all public access to the island for the rest of her life.[23]
In May and June 1940, a refugee camp was set up on Church Field; 3,000 Dutch and Belgian refugees arrived over 6 weeks. Some of the Dutch refugee boats were then used in the evacuation of the troops from Dunkirk. During theSecond World War large flares were placed on the western end of the island to misleadLuftwaffe bombers away from the port of Poole. The decoy saved Poole and Bournemouth from 1,000 tonnes (160,000 st) of German bombs, but the deserted village of Maryland was destroyed.[24]
In April 1961, Bonham-Christie died at 96 years old and her grandson gave the island to theTreasury to pay herdeath duties, but the Treasury only deals with money, so accepted the Island on condition that it be bought from them by theNational Trust, for £100,000.[25] The National Trust, in 1962, agreed to buy the island from the Treasury, but could only provide £25,000. TheDorset Wildlife Trust, for £25,000, leased a nature reserve on the north of the island, a sum raised by a campaign started by local conservationist,Helen Brotherton. TheJohn Lewis Partnership, also for £25,000, bought a 99-year lease of the castle and its grounds for use as a holiday hotel for staff, and also renovated the castle.Olave, Lady Baden-Powell instigated a fundraising campaign in the Scout & Guide Movements that also raised £25,000; this was given to the National Trust for that purpose and so the island passed into their ownership.
The island had been neglected for many years. Work was carried out to prepare the island for visitors; tracks were cleared through areas overgrown withrhododendrons andfirebreaks were created to prevent repetition of the 1934 fire. Working parties of Scouts and Guides camped on the island to carry out this work. The castle was renovated. The island was opened to the public on Wednesday 15 May 1963[26] byOlave, Lady Baden-Powell at a ceremony attended by surviving members of the 1907 camp. Soon after Brownsea Island was opened to the public, it was attracting more than 10,000 visitors a year.[27] Larger boats means that today the island attracts some 110,000 visitors annually, but numbers have to be restricted to preserve the nature of the island.
Since 1964, the island has been host to theBrownsea Open Air Theatre, annually performing the works ofWilliam Shakespeare. Brownsea has a visitor centre and museum, displaying the island's history. There is also a newly located shop and cafe, with one holiday cottage on the quay. At the Scout camp, at the south-west of the island, there is an outdoor centre and a trading post shop which is focused on the Scout movement.[citation needed]
The Dorset Wildlife Trust operates on the island fromThe Villa, previously the island vicarage. The island has a single post box that is emptied each day. In October 2008, the island was featured on BBC One's annualAutumnwatch programme.[28]
There is an annual round-the-island swim of4+1⁄2 miles (7.2 km) run by theRLSS Poole Lifeguards.[29]
From 1 August until 8 August 1907,Robert Baden-Powell held an experimental camp on the island, to test out his Boy Scout ideas. He gathered 21 boys of mixed social backgrounds (from boys' schools in the London area and a section of boys from the Poole, Parkstone, Hamworthy, Bournemouth, and Winton Boys' Brigade units) and held a week-long camp.[30] The boys took part in activities such ascamping,observation,woodcraft,chivalry,lifesaving and patriotism. Following the camp, in 1908, Baden-Powell's bookScouting for Boys andThe Scout magazine were published and the Scout movement grew rapidly.[30]
Boy Scouts camped on the island until the 1930s, when all public access to the island was forbidden by the island's owner. After ownership of the island transferred to the National Trust, a permanent 20 hectares (49 acres) Scout camp site was opened in 1963 byOlave Baden-Powell.[citation needed] In August 2007, 100 years after Baden-Powell's experimental camp, Brownsea Island was the focus of celebrations of thecentenary. Four camps were set up on the island including a replica of the original 1907 camp, and hundreds of Scouts and Girl Guides from 160 countries travelled to the island to take part in the celebrations.[31] Also present on the island that day were 17 descendants of Baden-Powell.
Brownsea Island istwinned with:
Île de Tatihou, France[32]
