Poole is a large coastal town lies on the southern shore of England with a population of around 147,645 according to 2001 census. It is a seaport in the county of Dorset located about 33 kilometres east of Dorchester. In 1997, the town granted a unitary authority and Borough of Poole administers the local council. Poole along with the towns of Christchurch and Bournemouth, it forms the part of Poole-Bournemouth urban area or South Dorset conurbation. It is the second largest town in Dorset. The early history of the town found back before the Iron Age. The town developed as an important port in the 12th century, and the wealth of the town grew with the introduction of the wool trade. The town made strong trade links with the North America. It became one of the busiest ports in the United Kingdom in the 18th century.
During the Second World War, the town served as the main departing point for Normandy landings, also known as Operation Neptune where landing operations of the Allied invasion of Normandy took place on D-Day. The town is considered as an attractive tourist destination and famous for its large natural Harbour, Blue Flag beaches and the Lighthouse arts centre. With passenger ferry and English Channel freight services, the town became an important commercial port of the country. Poole is home to Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and Royal Marines.
History
The name of the town is developed from the English word pool meaning a place near a creek or stream of water. It has been suggested that the area around the Poole has been occupied from the last 2500 years. The Romans took over the settlement of Iron Age during the invasion of Britain in the first century. The town became an essential part of the Kingdom of Wessex during the Anglo-Saxons period, inhabited Great Britain in the 5th century. The town was used as a fishing and Harbour base, where ships main stayed on their passage to the River Frome. The town was considered as an important Anglo-Saxon town of Wareham, English county of Dorset. In 876, the town faced two major large-scale raids by Vikings and Canute also used the port of the town to raid and pillage Wessex.
The importance of Wareham declined, and the town grew rapidly as a busy port after the Norman occupation of England. The Great Charter of Elizabeth I granted a county corporate, and subsequently, the town got legal independence from Dorset. The Newfoundland fisheries and North American colonies established a successful commerce with the town in the 16th century. The town experienced the most prosperous period from the early 18th century till early 19th century. The prosperous phase brought new developments including the replacement of medieval buildings with the terraced housing and Georgian mansions. The end of the Napoleonic Wars ended the Newfoundland trade, and most merchants ceased trading. During the industrialisation, the town grew rapidly and became a place for mercantile prosperity. The port of the town lost business as ships became too large for the shallow Harbour in the 19th century. The coastal shipping trade ended with the arrival of railways in 1847.
Economy
The economy of Poole is more balanced as compared to the rest towns of Dorset. The manufacturing sector flourished in 1960, whereas service sector including the relocation of the office-based employers expanded between the 1980 and 1990. The town is home to the world’s largest motor yachts builder Sunseeker and engaged more than 1800 workforce in the shipyards of the town. Other major employers in the town include Lush, Ryvita, Faerch Plast, Siemens and Kerry Foods. The economy of the town is based mainly on the service sector. Major employers in the service sector include Barclays Bank, Bank of New York Mellon, Arts University Bournemouth, Merlin Entertainments and American Express Bank.
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