Get away for... THE WEEKEND!
The Isle of Purbeck is a mine of opportunity, and surprises, when it comes to investigating the past
Despite its name, the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset is not an island, but 60 square miles of beautiful landscape, picturepostcard villages and a stunning coastline. This countryside is obviously what most visitors come to see but, on this trip, we wanted to investigate below the surface.
Our aim was to find evidence of an industrial past now largely hidden from view. In the age before modern tourism these industries were essential features of the local economy and produced items that you may well have admired in iconic old buildings, or even have on your mantlepiece.
The Camping and Caravanning Club’s site on the edge of Corfe Castle village was an excellent base from which to conduct our search. We headed first to the lovely village of Worth Matravers, parking Hazel (our ’van) in the village car park (no height barriers).
On a sunny, slightly blustery day we admired the honey-coloured stone houses and resisted the temptation to stop at the tea rooms next to the duckpond. A footpath through an attractive dry valley leads down to the sea just over a mile away.
We arrived at Winspit to see the spectacular quarry where Purbeck marble was dug out of the cliffs and then dropped directly into barges moored in the small bay below. Purbeck marble is very hard limestone, which occurs in narrow bands and, whilst strictly not a marble, its surface can be polished to create a very ornamental finish. This explains why it was used from medieval times in many of England’s finest cathedrals including Ely, Exeter, Lincoln and Canterbury as well as Westminster Abbey.
The old workings are completely open from the coastal path and you can explore
Why?... To walk, cycle and explore the area’s fascinating industrial past
them by walking into underground caverns supported by pillars of rock. We tried to imagine the scene just after the Great Fire of London in 1666 when, such was the demand for Purbeck Marble, the cove would have been full of barges waiting to be loaded with great slabs of rock bound for the capital.
In summer, the quarry is extremely popular with climbers and walkers and there is a small rocky bay below which is a nice spot for a swim. It was too blustery for us to take a dip, so we made our walk circular by heading along the coast to Seacombe before following another steep, dry, valley back up to Worth Matravers.
After a 3½-mile walk it would have been a shame to leave without a visit to the ancient Square and Compass pub, which still serves its ale from a hatch so that you can sip it in the front garden with views down to the sea. The pub also has a small museum with fossils found in the local limestone.
We set off on our bikes next day to search out remnants of the ball clay industry. Ball clay (also known as pipe clay) is an exceedingly rare material found in this part of Dorset, Devon and only a few other places in the world.
It was formed by the weathering of granite, with the material washed down in rivers millions of years ago. It is valued for its whiteness and, when fired and mixed with china clay, it creates an ideal material for tableware.
Although it had been mined since Roman times, the industry really expanded in
Dorset when Josiah Wedgwood started using it in the potteries in the eighteenth century. This led to numerous underground and surface mines and it became a major source of employment and wealth in the area.
Our search began adjacent to another campsite, Norden Farm, just north of Corfe Castle. This area was the centre of the industry and, next to the camping fields, we found old mining structures and buildings that were in use until the early 1970s.
The increasing demand for the clay required a new form of transport to take it to the wharves on Poole Harbour, so three tramways were developed to replace packhorses. Large sections of each of these are now cyclable bridleways, which we rode along, following one of the routes through the woods towards Creech and passing several old flooded clay pits. Sometimes these pools have a deep blue colour (caused by the suspended clay particles in the water), but, on our visit, we just had to imagine this optical phenomenon.
Continuing past a large – and still-operational ball claypit at Furzebrook – we
picked up the route of the old Pikes Tramway to Poole Harbour. This wellsurfaced bridleway crosses Slepe Heath to a wharf at Ridge, which is now a yacht marina. An old engine shed near the end of the line serves as a reminder of the days when steam engines pulled loaded clay wagons across the heath to be transported out of Poole Harbour.
Our ride continued along minor roads for just under three miles across the lovely heathland to reach the RSPB nature reserve at Arne. It’s a fantastic location in which to enjoy the abundant wildlife on this now very rare heathland habitat and look at the stunning views across Poole Harbour. The sandy beach at Shipstal Point was a great place to eat our lunch looking out on numerous wooded islands in what is one of the largest natural harbours in the world.
Another good reason to visit this part of Dorset is the fantastic walking, particularly along the Purbeck chalk ridge that runs from Old Harry Rocks at Studland to Lulworth Cove. This ridge can be reached from the back of the Camping and Caravanning Club’s site and follows bridleways and footpaths along both the top and the bottom.
On this trip we walked along its top to visit the dramatic ruins of Corfe Castle (National Trust), which dominate the whole area. The castle was blown up by Parliamentary forces after a long siege during the Civil War.
We continued our walk across Corfe Common to the village of Kingston where the views from the rear garden of The Scott Arms Inn must be the finest from a pub garden in the entire country, looking back to Corfe and to Poole Harbour beyond (you could also enjoy Caribbean cooking from the Jerk Shak – check for opening times).
It was time to get back to searching for more industrial heritage. The Purbeck Mineral and Mining Museum at Norden Station is on the site of the last underground clay mine to be closed and has recreated some of the narrow-gauge railways that operated in the area. Unfortunately, it was closed during our visit – but we could inspect the old railway machinery and artefacts stored outside.
Clay from this site was sent along Fayles Tramway to Goathorn Pier; again, much of the route is cyclable across Rempstone and Newton Heaths. The first part of the route is now a surfaced road towards Wytch Farm.
In coniferous plantations all along this stretch of heathland – and on some of the offshore islands – is the modern equipment required to extract ‘black gold’ from the
Must do... Explore the wonderfully atmospheric ruins of Corfe Caste
Wytch Farm Oil Field. This is the largest on-shore oil field in western Europe, which extracts the new underground wealth of the Purbeck countryside.
The oil field was discovered in 1973, just as the last of the clay railways and the underground mines were closing. At its peak over 100,000 barrels a day were being produced, although this is now declining.
We tried to spot the oil field installations from the heaths and the Purbeck Ridge above, but they are almost completely screened from view. We only knew that they were there from the symbols on the Ordnance Survey maps. It’s astonishing that such a major industry can nestle in such a heavily protected landscape mostly out of sight of all the tourists who flock here.
One of our favourite things to do in this area is to catch a steam train on the
Swanage Railway from either Norden (no height barriers on the large car park) or Corfe Castle, to the attractive traditional seaside town. We couldn’t on this occasion, as the railway was temporarily closed, but we have done the trip a number of times and can highly recommend it.
A vintage steam train takes you on a six-mile journey through the pretty countryside and finishes a short distance from Swanage’s sandy beach. The bay has lovely views to the chalk cliffs leading out to Old Harry Rocks or up to Durlston Country Park in the other direction. Fish and chip shops, a pier, amusement arcades and even a Punch and Judy show create an atmosphere that fits perfectly with the experience of arriving by steam train.
We enjoyed this short break to experience the many attractions this area offers and we’d also gained an understanding of its history; in particular, the amazing mineral wealth that contributed so much to the area.
The marble quarry in the cliffs now provides climbing opportunities and the old clay mines have largely shrunk back into the landscape, but the disused tramways remain for visitors to enjoy on bike and on foot. The oil industry is also remarkably well disguised in the picturesque landscape; you will only find any sign of it if you look extremely hard. The Isle of Purbeck really is one of those remarkable places to enjoy a weekend exploring!
Must see... The fabulous view from the garden of The Scott Arms in Kingston