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Brownsea Castle

Buildings and structures in PooleCastles in Dorset
Brownsea Castle seen from sea
Brownsea Castle seen from sea

Brownsea Castle, also known historically as Branksea Castle, was originally a Device Fort constructed by Henry VIII between 1545 and 1547 to protect Poole Harbour in Dorset, England, from the threat of French attack. Located on Brownsea Island, it comprised a stone blockhouse with a hexagonal gun platform. It was garrisoned by the local town with six soldiers and armed with eight artillery pieces. The castle remained in use after the original invasion scare had passed and was occupied by Parliament during the English Civil War of the 1640s. By the end of the century, however, it had fallen into disuse. In 1726 the castle was converted into a private residence by William Benson, despite complaints from the town of Poole. Benson and the subsequent owners extended the original blockhouse to form a country house, landscaping the surrounding island to create ornamental gardens and lakes. The 19th century saw continued building work by the castle's occupants, including the entrepreneur Colonel William Waugh, who erected various Jacobethan-styled extensions. A serious fire in 1896 gutted the castle, which was restored by Major Kenneth Robert Balfour. The wealthy stockbroker Charles Van Raalte led a lavish lifestyle at Brownsea at the start of the 20th century, using it to house his collection of antique musical instruments. Brownsea Castle was purchased by Mary Bonham-Christie in 1927. She allowed the property to fall into disrepair and by the time of her death in 1961 it was in a very poor condition. It was then purchased by the National Trust and leased to the John Lewis Partnership, who restored it over many years. In the 21st century it is still used by the Partnership as a corporate hotel for their employees and retired staff.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Brownsea Castle (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Brownsea Castle
Middle Street,

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Wikipedia: Brownsea CastleContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 50.68834 ° E -1.95826 °
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Address

Brownsea Castle

Middle Street
BH13 7EE , Studland
England, United Kingdom
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Brownsea Castle seen from sea
Brownsea Castle seen from sea
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Parkstone
Parkstone

Parkstone is an area of Poole, Dorset. It is divided into 'Lower' and 'Upper' Parkstone. Upper Parkstone - "Up-on-'ill" as it used to be known in local parlance - is so-called because it is largely on higher ground slightly to the north of the lower-lying area of Lower Parkstone - "The Village" - which includes areas adjacent to Poole Harbour. Because of the proximity to the shoreline, and the more residential nature of Lower Parkstone, it is the more sought-after district, and originally included Lilliput and the Sandbanks Peninsula (now part of Canford Cliffs) within its official bounds. Lower Parkstone is centred on Ashley Cross, the original location of Parkstone Grammar School, near to the Parish Church of St. Peter. Despite the residential reputation, Parkstone was the site of several industrial undertakings, the largest being George Jennings South Western Pottery, a manufacturer of salt-glaze drainage and sanitary pipes, which had its own steam locomotive, that ran on a private branch line from Parkstone Station. Much of this area was agricultural until the 1920s and 1930s. Upper Parkstone includes large areas of smaller artisan housing, the shopping district along Ashley Road and the parish church of St. John's, Heatherlands. There are larger properties, however, and the views from this higher part of the suburb across Poole Harbour to the Purbeck Hills are quite remarkable. Many photographs taken over the years from the Seaview viewpoint (overlooking much of Poole centre and Harbour) exist as postcards, and can be used to chart the changes to the area.Parkstone is just south of Alder Hills. Parkstone Bay is in the far west.

Landfall (house)

Landfall is a house in Poole, Dorset, England, that was built between 1936 and 1938 by the architect Oliver Hill in the modernist style. It has been designated as a Grade II* listed building by Historic England.The house was designed and built for Edna and Dudley Shaw Ashton. A film was made of the construction of the building which won a national amateur film award. Dudley Shaw Ashton became a film director. The circular room in the centre of the house doubled up as a film cinema and was inspired by the 1934 British musical film, Evergreen. It had a circular rug by Marion Dorn in off white with a central motif. The fitted furniture was designed by Betty Joel. Flying circular stairs, constructed of reinforced concrete, led from the balcony to the garden terrace. Beneath the terrace is an air raid shelter. Ship's stairs led from the first floor up to the sun room on the roof. The Ashtons were socialites, with Landfall being visited by many famous people from the arts, cinema and authors . They were asked to sign the back of the door of the cloakroom. Signatures include Henry Moore, Ben Nicholson, David Hockney, Ceri Richards, John Hutton, Frances Richards, Terry Frost, Roland Penrose, Thorold Dickinson, Anthony Asquith, John Grierson, Jacquetta Hawkes, Hugh Ross Williamson and William Kean Seymour. Landfall is referenced by the architectural historian Alan Powers in Modern: The Modern Movement in Britain. It was featured in his 1989 exhibition Oliver Hill : Architect and Lover of Life 1887–1968, and in an associated publication. Landfall has been referenced in numerous books, journals and newspaper articles.