Old time scouting games played at brownsea island

During this time the castle was renovated and served as host to famous visitors such as Guglielmo Marconi.

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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 ( see opening datestimes below ) 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 is 1 1 2 miles (2.4 km) long and 3 4 mile (1.2 km) wide and consists of 500 acres.

Most of the buildings are situated near the small landing stage.

The northern portion of the island is a Nature Reserve managed by Dorset Wildlife Trust and an important habitat for birds; this part of the island has limited public access.

A small portion to the southeast of the island, along with Brownsea Castle, is leased to the John Lewis Partnership for use as a holiday hotel for staff, and is not open to the public.

The Brownsea red squirrel population is the only population known in the UK to carry the human form of the bacteria stem Mycobacterium leprae that causes leprosy in humans.

The island has a heronry, in which both grey heron and little egret nest.

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.

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 nearby Wareham and Cerne Abbey.

In 1154, King Henry II granted the Abbot of Cerne the right of wreck for the island and the abbey continued to control the interests of Brownsea for the following 350 years.

Henry VIII recognised the islands strategic importance of guarding the narrow entrance to the expanding port of Poole.

As part of a deterrent to invasion forces from Europe, the island was fortified in 1547 by means of a blockhouse, which became known as Brownsea Castle.

In the following centuries, the island passed into the hands of a succession of various owners.

In 1576, Queen Elizabeth I made a gift of Brownsea to one of her court favourites and rumoured lover, Sir Christopher Hatton.

During the English Civil War, Poole sided with Parliament and garrisoned Brownsea Castle.

Unfortunately Foster suffered bouts of depression and died in Brownsea Castle in 1848.

In 1852 Brownsea was again up for sale and was sold for 13,000.

It was purchased by William Waugh, a former Colonel in the British Army in the belief he could exploit the white clay deposits on the island to manufacture high-quality porcelain.

He hoped the clay would be of the same quality as the nearby Furzebrook clay, but it turned out to be suitable only for sanitary ware.

Old Time Scouting Games Played At Brownsea Island