Lower Parkstone
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Parkstone is an area of
Poole Poole () is a coastal town and seaport on the south coast of England in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area in Dorset, England. The town is east of Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east ...
, in the
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Dorset, England. It was created in 2019 and covers much of the area of the South Ea ...
district, in the ceremonial county of
Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...
, England. 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 Poole Harbour is a large natural harbour in Dorset, southern England, with the town of Poole on its shores. The harbour is a drowned valley ( ria) formed at the end of the last ice age and is the estuary of several rivers, the largest being th ...
. 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 Lilliput is an island nation in Jonathan Swift's novel ''Gulliver's Travels''. Lilliput may also refer to: Geography * Lilliput (townland), a townland in County Westmeath, Ireland * Lilliput, Dorset, a district in the town of Poole in Dorset, ...
and the
Sandbanks Sandbanks is an affluent neighbourhood of Poole, Dorset, on the south coast of England, situated on a narrow spit of around 1 km2 or 0.39 sq mi extending into the mouth of Poole Harbour. It is known for its high property prices and for it ...
peninsula (now part of
Canford Cliffs Canford Cliffs is a suburb of Poole in Dorset, England. The neighbourhood lies on the English Channel coast midway between Poole and Bournemouth. To the southwest is Sandbanks which has some of the highest property values in the world; with C ...
) within its official bounds. Lower Parkstone is centred on Ashley Cross, the original location of
Parkstone Grammar School Parkstone Grammar School (commonly abbreviated to "PGS") is a selective, all-girls academy school in Poole specializing in science and languages, on the southern coast of England. Admissions The school is situated in the northern end of the to ...
, near to the parish church of St. Peter. 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 views from this higher part of the suburb across
Poole Harbour Poole Harbour is a large natural harbour in Dorset, southern England, with the town of Poole on its shores. The harbour is a drowned valley ( ria) formed at the end of the last ice age and is the estuary of several rivers, the largest being th ...
to the
Purbeck Hills The Purbeck Hills, also called the Purbeck Ridge or simply the Purbecks, are a ridge of chalk downs in Dorset, England. The ridge is formed by the structure known as the Purbeck Monocline, and extends from Lulworth Cove in the west to Old H ...
. 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 Alder Hills is a suburb in Dorset that crosses the boundaries of Bournemouth and Poole. It is south of Wallisdown, east of Alderney and north of Branksome and Parkstone. History In July 2019, a huge heathland fire occurred in the area. It was ...
, and east of the Parkstone Bay area of Poole Harbour.


History

The "Upper Parkstone Estate" was a significant area of land vested in the local authority by the Great Canford Award of 1831, but it was slow to develop into the bustling neighbourhood of today. In January 1885 a plot of land amounting to 6
acre The acre ( ) is a Unit of measurement, unit of land area used in the Imperial units, British imperial and the United States customary units#Area, United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one Chain (unit), ch ...
s 2 rods and 35 poles (approximately 2.5
hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. ...
s) was set aside as a public open space in plans presented to the council as a result of an invitation to a number of local architects for proposals laying out the estate. But what is now known as " Alexandra Park" is essentially
Edwardian In the United Kingdom, the Edwardian era was a period in the early 20th century that spanned the reign of King Edward VII from 1901 to 1910. It is commonly extended to the start of the First World War in 1914, during the early reign of King Ge ...
in concept, having evolved over a period of some 30 years (1885–1915). The name dates from June 1906, the presumption being that it is named after
Queen Alexandra Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was List of British royal consorts, queen-consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 Januar ...
, consort of the reigning
Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...
. Much of Upper Parkstone was developed during the Victorian era and is typical for a development of that period, most of the main shops being situated along a main road (Ashley Road) together with a few pubs and churches, and most houses being in adjacent roads. A lot of roads are named after important people or events of their time, such as Albert Road, Victoria Road and Jubilee Road. Despite the residential reputation, Parkstone was the site of several industrial undertakings, the largest being
George Jennings George Jennings (10 November 1810 – 17 April 1882) was an English sanitary engineer and plumber who invented the first public flush toilets. These were first showcased at the Great Exhibition in 1851, and such was the popularity of his invent ...
South Western Pottery, a manufacturer of
salt-glaze Salt-glaze or salt glaze pottery is pottery, usually stoneware, with a ceramic glaze of glossy, translucent and slightly orange-peel-like texture which was formed by throwing common salt into the kiln during the higher temperature part of the fi ...
drainage and sanitary pipes, which had its own steam locomotive and private branch line from
Parkstone railway station Parkstone railway station serves the Parkstone area of Poole in Dorset, England. History The station opened on 15 June 1874 by the London and South Western Railway (L&SWR). The station was renamed Parkstone for Sandbanks in 1923 and renamed aga ...
. Much of this area was agricultural until the 1920s and 1930s. Parkstone was formerly a
tything A tithing or tything was a historic English legal, administrative or territorial unit, originally ten hides (and hence, one tenth of a hundred). Tithings later came to be seen as subdivisions of a manor or civil parish. The tithing's leader or s ...
and
chapelry A chapelry was a subdivision of an ecclesiastical parish in England and parts of Lowland Scotland up to the mid 19th century. Status A chapelry had a similar status to a Township (England), township, but was so named as it had a chapel of ease ...
in the parish of
Canford Magna Canford Magna is a village in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole district, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. The village is situated just south of the River Stour and lies between the towns of Wimborne Minster and Poole. The vi ...
, in 1866 Parkstone became a separate
civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
, on 9 November 1905 the parish was abolished and merged with Poole. In 1901 the parish had a population of 6,550. It is now in the
unparished area In England, an unparished area is an area that is not covered by a civil parish (the lowest level of local government, not to be confused with an ecclesiastical parish). Most urbanised districts of England are either entirely or partly unparis ...
of Poole. The area expanded into other areas such as Rossmore and later Alderney, which are sometimes considered to be part of Parkstone. Although most houses in the district are owner-occupied, council houses were also built in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. The Trinidad and Bourne Estates are typical examples of post-war housing estates although there are very few council flats in Parkstone as much of the area retains its suburban character. As of 2012, Ashley Road continues to be principally made up of commercial premises. Though some small blocks of flats have been built along this thoroughfare over the last 20 years, surrounding areas such as Rossmore have changed little during that time. A few older cottage-style dwellings can still be found as reminders of when the area was agricultural, including several pairs of 'Lady Wimborne' houses: yellow-brick cottages with steep gables built by the Canford Estate, whose lands stretched from
Longham Longham is a village situated in the Breckland District of Norfolk and covers an area of 540 hectares (2.1 square miles) with a population of 219 in 100 households at the 2001 census, increasing to a population of 224 in 99 households at the 2 ...
to
Lilliput Lilliput is an island nation in Jonathan Swift's novel ''Gulliver's Travels''. Lilliput may also refer to: Geography * Lilliput (townland), a townland in County Westmeath, Ireland * Lilliput, Dorset, a district in the town of Poole in Dorset, ...
.


Transport

Ashley Road is the main road between
Bournemouth Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...
and Poole and benefits from much through business, and is the site of
Waitrose Waitrose Limited, trading as Waitrose & Partners, is a British supermarket chain, founded in 1904 as Waite, Rose & Taylor, later shortened to Waitrose. In 1937, it was acquired by the John Lewis Partnership, the UK's largest employee-owned b ...
and
Morrisons Wm Morrison Supermarkets Limited, trading as Morrisons, is the List of supermarket chains in the United Kingdom, fifth largest supermarket chain in the United Kingdom. As of 2021, the company had 497 supermarkets across England, Wales and Sco ...
supermarkets."Waitrose move met with wails"
Bournemouth Daily Echo The ''Bournemouth Daily Echo'', commonly known as the ''Daily Echo'' (a.k.a. the ''Bournemouth Echo''), is a local newspaper that covers the area of southeast Dorset, England, including the towns Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch. Published b ...
, 19 July 2006. Retrieved 6 October 2019. Commercial Road is the main thoroughfare through Ashley Cross, providing another through route and bus routes from Poole to Bournemouth.
Parkstone railway station Parkstone railway station serves the Parkstone area of Poole in Dorset, England. History The station opened on 15 June 1874 by the London and South Western Railway (L&SWR). The station was renamed Parkstone for Sandbanks in 1923 and renamed aga ...
is in Lower Parkstone, near Parkstone Park. It is on the
South West Main Line The South West Main Line (SWML) is a 143-mile (230 km) major railway line between Waterloo station in central London and Weymouth on the south coast of England. A predominantly passenger line, it serves many commuter areas including south wes ...
between Weymouth and
London Waterloo Waterloo station (), also known as London Waterloo, is a major central London railway terminus on the National Rail network in the United Kingdom, in the Waterloo area of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is connected to a London Undergroun ...
. Until 1966 it was also served by the
Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway The Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway (S&DJR, also known as the S&D, S&DR or SDJR), was an English railway line Joint railway, jointly owned by the Midland Railway (MR) and the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) that grew to connect Bat ...
to
Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...
.


Education

Parkstone has a large number of schools for all ages. The North Road and Constitution Hill campuses of The
Bournemouth and Poole College The Bournemouth and Poole College (BPC) is a well established educational provider which delivers further education, higher education and community based courses in Bournemouth and in Poole on the south coast of England. It is one of the large ...
also have Parkstone addresses. In Lower Parkstone the schools are Courthill Infant School and Lilliput Infant School feeding into Baden Powell and St Peter's Junior School. In Upper Parkstone the schools are: *Sylvan Infant School which feeds into Branksome Heath Junior School. *Bishop Aldhelm's Primary School, Manorside Primary School, Talbot Primary School and Branksome Heath Junior School which all feed into
St Aldhelm's Academy St Aldhelm's Academy is a co-educational secondary school serving the Rossmore, Parkstone, Newtown, Wallisdown and Alderney areas of Poole, Dorset, England. School history The school opened in October 1938 as Kemp-Welch Senior Council School a ...
. *St Joseph's Primary School, a Roman Catholic school *Winchelsea Special School, next to Manorside in Alderney. There is also a private school in the area,
Bournemouth Collegiate School Bournemouth Collegiate School is a coeducational private day and boarding school based on two sites in Poole and Bournemouth, Dorset on the southern coast of England. The prep school (ages 2–11) is located in Poole and the senior school (ages ...


Religious buildings

* St Dunstan of Canterbury Orthodox Church * St. Peter's Church, Parkstone


Areas of Parkstone

The following estates and districts are often categorised as part of Parkstone, in local trade directories, for instance: *
Alderney Alderney ( ; ; ) is the northernmost of the inhabited Channel Islands. It is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependencies, Crown dependency. It is long and wide. The island's area is , making it the third-largest isla ...
*Ashley Cross *Heatherlands *
Lilliput Lilliput is an island nation in Jonathan Swift's novel ''Gulliver's Travels''. Lilliput may also refer to: Geography * Lilliput (townland), a townland in County Westmeath, Ireland * Lilliput, Dorset, a district in the town of Poole in Dorset, ...
* Newtown *
Penn Hill Penn Hill is a suburb and electoral ward of Poole in Dorset, England, bordering on Branksome Park, Canford Cliffs, Sandbanks, Lilliput and Parkstone. It is effectively part of Parkstone. Demographics At the 2011 census: * 11,355 people li ...
* Rossmore * Sea View *
Whitecliff Whitecliff, is a small area of Parkstone in Poole, Dorset, England. It is situated near the eastern shore of Poole Harbour and is a very sought-after residential district of Poole due to its park and harbour view. Whitecliff Park Whitecliff ...


References


Notes


Bibliography

*


External links

{{Authority control Areas of Poole Former civil parishes in Dorset Poole Harbour