Poole

Our digs this week were in Broadstone, Dorset, a short ride from Poole. We took the bus into Poole to do a little sightseeing (Bethany) and pub crawling (Bruce). From the bus station you have to walk through the shopping mall to get down to the high street and the seaside, decorated for Christmas.

The temperatures were frigid, so I was happy that the Poole Museum wasn't a very long walk. It's housed in a building with a very modern facade, but parts of it date to the 15th or 16th century.

As to be expected, much of the museum is devoted to the city's history and association with the sea.

Poole harbor has had more than its share of shipwrecks, and one room on the ground floor delves into this history.

There are displays of objects found in the harbor

including a gravestone of fine Purbeck marble which never made it to its intended destination.

There's a very clever display set into the floorboard which shows a video of divers working an underwater site.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXUbRkWi6Ek

The most impressive exhibit by far is the remains of the hull of an iron age log boat. Originally crafted from a tree around 2,300 years ago, its makers were amongst Poole's earliest settlers. They also built Britain's first working port here, long before the Romans arrived.

The volunteer in the room was a wealth of information and his knowledge was doubly impressive considering it was his first day as a room guide.

The museum has five levels, each level showcasing a different aspect of Pool. One of the floors contained lots of examples of Poole Pottery, particularly that of Carter & Co.

One floor featured art by well-known local artists.

Poole, Too, Has Suffered by Percy Wise:

Destroyers in Line Ahead by Bernard Gribble:

Bay Hog Lane by Peggy Trotman:

On the top floor they're showing an installation called Sound of the Sea. As a soundtrack of waves breaking on the shore plays, pictures are projected onto the walls. As you step in front of the projector, you are incorporated into the picture, in the form of a sort of "Michelin Man."

A visit to the Poole Museum is great way to spend a few hours, and it's very close to the sea. I'd love to go back when the temperature is above freezing.