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| Branksome | |
|---|---|
 Poole Road, Branksome | |
  Branksome Location withinDorset | |
| Population | 13,622 (both wards 2011) |
| OS grid reference | SZ0591 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | POOLE |
| Postcode district | BH12, BH13 |
| Dialling code | 01202 |
| Police | Dorset |
| Fire | Dorset and Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
| 50°43′30″N1°54′54″W / 50.725°N 1.915°W /50.725; -1.915 | |
Branksome (/ˈbræŋksəm/) is a suburb ofPoole, in theBournemouth, Christchurch and Poole district, in the ceremonial county ofDorset, England. The area consists of residential properties and also a number of commercial and industrial areas.
It bordersParkstone, another small Poole suburb, to the west and north west,Alder Hills to the north east,Branksome Park (a more affluent forested area) to the south andWestbourne (a suburb ofBournemouth, Poole's conurbation neighbour) to the east.
Until the late 19th century the area was mainly unbuiltheath and woodlands. With the development and growth of nearbyBournemouth and laterPoole the area became popular as a place to live, mainly because the area was relatively undeveloped but yet was within commuting distance between Poole and Bournemouth.
TheBranksome Urban District was created by theLocal Government Act 1894 and absorbed into themunicipal borough ofPoole in 1905
With the development of the railways, Branksome continued to grow, served by the new Victorian line betweenWimborne, Poole and Bournemouth.Branksome railway station, which still serves the area today, helped encourage a massive growth in the early 20th century. Most of the houses in Branksome today are from the Edwardian period and before theSecond World War except for a 1970s development off of Winston Avenue known as the Farnham Estate and also a small amount of in-filling.
The area became an official suburb of Poole in the 1960s and by the 1980s almost all open areas of Branksome were built upon. The area however still has some heathland towards theWallisdown andCanford Heath areas, as well as a large and popular park known as the Branksome Recreation Ground, which is home to Parkstone Cricket Club. Branksome merges with the area known asBranksome Park, an area of more expensive properties.
There are three main areas of commercial development within the Branksome Parish.
The main area, Poole Retail Park (sometimes known as Redlands after the pipe factory once on the site) is situated along the main Poole to BournemouthA35. It is a commercial and shopping area.
The John Lewis store named John Lewis at Home opened in Branksome on 22 October 2009. The £6 million development is one-third of the size of a normal John Lewisdepartment store and is the first of a new experimental format for the retailer focusing exclusively on homeware.[1]
Accessed from Alder Road but essentially part of the Poole Retail Park area is a series of industrial buildings that were associated with the former confectionary factory that ceased operating in 2013.[2] BCP Council approved plans for the site to be turned into a 70-bed residential care home with 32 extra care apartments in 2016.[3] Aldi purchased the site in 2018, and made an unsuccessful bid to seek planning approval to turn it into a supermarket in August 2020. Despite this, theDaily Echo reports in February 2022 that the supermarket chain is now hopeful that a decision on its revised plans for a new store on the disused sweet factory site will be made "in the near future".[4]
The second area is situated on the old Gas Works site near to Yarmouth Road and Bourne Valley Road, known as Branksome Business Park it contains a number of industrial units.
The third area is situated to the northern end of the parish and is known as the Sharp Road Industrial Estate. Just outside the parish and to the west lies another substantial industrial area which includes a post office sorting office and other commercial developments.
Branksome has three main supermarkets. Along the A35 (Poole Road) there are a number of small independent retailers including fast food outlets, a bowling complex and a car showroom.
The major insurerLiverpool Victoria is situated towards the east of the boundary in a large building contained within the County Gates Roundabout.
Along Alder Road are a number of small independent shops. This area is known locally as "Alder Parade".
Branksome is served by hourlySouth Western Railway trains, calling atBranksome railway station on theSouth West Main Line betweenWeymouth andLondon Waterloo. However the closure of theSomerset and Dorset Joint Railway cut the direct line linking toBath.
Branksome has bus links to many areas of Bournemouth and Poole. As of November 2022 Branksome is served bymorebus services m1, m2, 15, 16, 17, 20 and U2.[5]
National Express coaches call at Branksome, Poole Road with services toLondon Victoria,Heathrow Airport andGatwick Airport.[6]
Branksome is home toBishop Aldhelm's CE Primary School.
Branksome lies partly within the UK Parliamentary constituency ofPoole and partly withinBournemouth West.[7]
The unitary authority ward isAlderney and Bourne Valley, and is represented by Councillors Adrian Chapmanlaw, Rachel Maidment and Tony Trent, onBournemouth, Poole and Christchurch Council.[8][9]
From 1894 to 1905 Branksome was an urban district,[10]Branksome Urban District Council's former headquarters were made into an Elderly Persons' dwelling in 1987 and called Bob Hann House afterRobert George Hann, Mayor of Poole 1968/69, who was Chairman of the Poole Borough Housing Committee from 1973 until his death in 1986.
On 30 December 1894Branksome Urban District became a separatecivil parish fromKinson. On 9 November 1905 the parish was abolished and merged with Poole.[11] In 1901 the parish had a population of 8095.[12] It is now in theunparished area of Poole.
The parish church of Branksome isSt Aldhelm's Church[13] which falls within theDiocese of Salisbury.
Other places of worship include:
Heatherview Medical Centre is located near to the Sainsbury supermarket off Alder Road inAlder Hills. The local clinical commissioning group isNHS Dorset CCG.[14]
