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The Great Britain Guide

Islands · South East England

Brownsea Island

Free admission

Brownsea Island — island in Poole Harbour, Dorset, England, UK.

Brownsea Island, islands in South East England

Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
4 h–12 h
Nearest railway station
Poole · 3.2 km
  • Free entry
  • Dog-friendly

About

Brownsea Island is a island in the United Kingdom. It covers approximately 500 km². Recent population estimates put it at around 30 people. Address: BH13. Wikidata describes it as: "island in Poole Harbour, Dorset, England, UK". Coordinates: 50.6917°, -1.9722°.

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Protected designations

  • Site of Special Scientific Interest: Poole Harbour SSSI
  • National Nature Reserve: PURBECK HEATHS
  • Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty: Dorset
  • Ramsar wetland: Poole Harbour

Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.

From the Wikipedia article

Brownsea Island is the largest of the islands in Poole Harbour, in the county of Dorset, England. The island is owned by the National 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 and heath with a wide variety of wildlife, together with cliff top views across Poole Harbour and the Isle of Purbeck. The island was the location of an experimental camp in 1907 that preceded the publication of Scouting for Boys and The Scout magazine in 1908. Access is by public ferry or private boat; in 2017 the island received 133,340 visitors. The island's name probably comes from Old English Brūnoces īeg = "Brūnoc's island".

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

The first records of inhabitants on Brownsea Island occurred in the 9th century, when a small chapel and hermitage were built by monks from Cerne Abbey near Dorchester. The chapel was dedicated to St Andrew and the only resident of the island was a hermit, who may have administered to the spiritual welfare of sailors passing through Poole Harbour. In 1015, Canute led a Viking raid to the harbour and used Brownsea as a base to sack Wareham and Cerne Abbey. In the 11th century the owner of the island was Bruno, who was Lord of the Manor of Studland.

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
50.6917, -1.9722
District
Dorset
Parish
Studland
Postcode
BH13
Parliamentary constituency
South Dorset
Population
30
Nearest railway station
Poole3.2 km

Sources

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Frequently asked questions

Where is Brownsea Island?
Brownsea Island is in South-East England, United Kingdom (postcode BH13), in the parish of Studland.
Is Brownsea Island a protected site?
Yes — Brownsea Island is part of the Poole Harbour SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest and the PURBECK HEATHS National Nature Reserve.
Is Brownsea Island free to visit?
Yes, Brownsea Island is free to enter.
How do I get to Brownsea Island?
The nearest railway station is Poole, about 3.2 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode BH13.