View source for Isle of Purbeck

{{Short description|Peninsula in Dorset, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
[[File:Corfe Castle and Greyhound Inn Dorset England.jpg|thumb|[[Corfe Castle]]]]

The '''Isle of Purbeck''' is a [[peninsula]] in [[Dorset]], England. It is bordered by water on three sides: the [[English Channel]] to the south and east, where steep cliffs fall to the sea; and by the marshy lands of the [[River Frome, Dorset|River Frome]] and [[Poole Harbour]] to the north. Its western boundary is less well defined, with some medieval sources placing it at [[Flower's Barrow]] above [[Worbarrow Bay]].<ref>{{cite book |quote=that the whole Isle of Purbeck is a warren of our lord the King and pertains to his said castle, and it extends from a path which is between Flouresberi and the wood of Wytewey and thence as far as Luggerford, from that to the bridge of Wareham, and so along the sea, in an easterly direction, to a place called the Castle of Stodland; thence by the sea-coast to the chapel of St Aldhalm, and from thence still by the sea-coast towards the west until it again reaches the aforesaid place of Flouresberi. (inquisition taken at [[Corfe Castle]] in 1370) |last=Hyland |first=Paul |title=Purbeck: The Ingrained Island |publisher=Victor Gollancz Ltd |year=1978 |isbn=0-575-02440-2 |pages=18}}</ref> [[John Hutchins (antiquary)|John Hutchins]], author of ''The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset'', defined Purbeck's western boundary as the Luckford Lake stream, which runs south from the [[River Frome, Dorset|Frome]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Hutchins |first1=John |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tkY-AQAAIAAJ&q=hutchins+dorset |title=The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset |last2=Shipp |first2=William |last3=Hodson |first3=James Whitworth |date=1973 |publisher=EP Pub. |isbn=978-0-85409-854-5 |pages=421 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Carlisle |first=Nicholas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q9H_Wj_vPZkC&dq=western+boundary+purbeck+arish&pg=PP112 |title=A Topographical Dictionary of England ...: L–Z |date=1808 |publisher=Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme |language=en}}</ref> According to writer and broadcaster [[Ralph Wightman]], Purbeck "is only an island if you accept the barren heaths between [[Arish Mell]] and [[Wareham, Dorset|Wareham]] as cutting off this corner of Dorset as effectively as the sea."<ref>{{cite book |title=Portrait of Dorset |first=Ralph |last=Wightman |publisher=Robert Hale |year=1983 |edition=4 |page=178 |isbn=0-7090-0844-9}}</ref> The most southerly point is [[St Alban's Head]] (archaically St. Aldhelm's Head).

From 1974 to 2019, the whole of the Isle of Purbeck lay within the local government district of [[Purbeck District|Purbeck]], which was named after it. The district extended significantly further north and west than the traditional boundary of the Isle of Purbeck along the River Frome. Following the abolition of the district on 1 April 2019, the Isle now lies within the [[Dorset (unitary authority)|Dorset]] unitary authority area.

In terms of natural landscape areas, the southern part of the Isle of Purbeck and the coastal strip as far as [[Ringstead Bay]] in the west, have been designated as National Character Area 136 – South Purbeck by [[Natural England]]. To the north are the [[Dorset Heaths]] and to the west, the [[Weymouth Lowlands]].<ref>{{cite web |url = http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/3504906 |title = NCA Profile: 136 South Purbeck (NE370) |publisher = [[Natural England]] |date = 2015-02-05 |access-date = 2015-11-28 }}</ref>

==Geology==
{{See also|Geology of Dorset}}
[[File:Isle of Purbeck.png|thumb|235x235px|Map of the Isle of Purbeck]]
The geology of the Isle is complex. It has a [[discordant coastline]] along the east and [[concordant coastline]] along the south. The northern part is [[Eocene]] [[clay]] (Barton Beds), including significant deposits of [[Purbeck Ball Clay]]. Where the land rises to the sea there are several parallel strata of [[Jurassic]] rocks, including [[Portland stone|Portland limestone]] and the [[Purbeck beds]].  The latter include [[Purbeck Marble]], a particularly hard [[limestone]] that can be polished (though mineralogically, it is not [[marble]]). A ridge of [[Cretaceous]] [[chalk]] runs along the peninsula creating the [[Purbeck Hills]], part of the [[Southern England]] [[Chalk Formation]] that includes [[Salisbury Plain]], the [[Dorset Downs]] and the [[Isle of Wight]]. The cliffs here are some of the most spectacular in England, and of great geological interest, both for the rock types and variety of [[landforms]], notably [[Lulworth Cove]] and [[Durdle Door]], and the coast is part of the [[Jurassic Coast]] [[World Heritage Site]] because of the unique geology.

In the past, quarrying of limestone was particularly concentrated around the western side of [[Swanage]], the villages of [[Worth Matravers]] and [[Langton Matravers]], and the cliffs along the coast between Swanage and [[St Alban's Head|St. Aldhelm's Head]].  The "caves" at [[Tilly Whim]] are former quarries, and [[Dancing Ledge]], Seacombe and [[Winspit]] are other cliff-edge quarries. Stone was removed from the cliff quarries either by sea, or using horse carts to transport large blocks to Swanage. Many of England's most famous [[cathedral]]s are adorned with [[Purbeck Marble|Purbeck marble]], and much of [[London]] was rebuilt in Portland and Purbeck stone after the [[Great Fire of London]].

By contrast, the principal ball clay workings were in the area between [[Corfe Castle (village)|Corfe Castle]] and [[Wareham, Dorset|Wareham]]. Originally the clay was taken by [[pack horse]] to [[wharf|wharves]] on the [[River Frome, Dorset|River Frome]] and the south side of [[Poole Harbour]]. However, in the first half of the 19th century the pack horses were replaced by horse-drawn tramways.<ref>See Simms, Wilfrid F., "Railways of Kimmeridge" (discussing slate railways)(1999)({{ISBN|095288819X}}).</ref> With the coming of the railway from Wareham to Swanage, most ball clay was dispatched by rail, often to the Potteries district of [[Staffordshire]].

Quarrying still takes place on Purbeck, with both [[Purbeck Ball Clay]] and [[limestone]]s being transported from the area by road. There are now no functioning quarries of [[Purbeck Marble]]. The [[Purbeck Mineral and Mining Museum]] displays an exhibition about ball clays, mining and the associated narrow gauge railways.

==Flora==
[[File:Ophrys sphegodes flowers.jpg|thumb|200px|''[[Ophrys sphegodes]]'', the Early Spider Orchid]]
The isle has the highest number of species of native and anciently introduced [[wild flower]]s of any area of comparable size in Britain.<ref name=flowers>{{cite book|first=Edward A.|last=Pratt|title=The Wild Flowers of The Isle of Purbeck, Brownsea and Sandbanks|publisher=Brambleby Books|year=2008}}</ref> This is largely due to the varied geology. The species most frequently sought is Early Spider Orchid (''[[Ophrys sphegodes]]''), which in Britain, is most common on Purbeck. Nearly 50,000 flowering [[Raceme|spikes]] were counted in 2009. Late April is the best time, and the largest population is usually in the field to the west of [[Dancing Ledge]]. Smaller numbers can be seen on a shorter walk in [[Durlston Country Park]]. This orchid is the logo of the [[Dorset Wildlife Trust]]. Cowslip meadows (''[[Primula veris]]'' and ''[[Primula deorum]]'') are at their best shortly afterwards and Durlston Country Park has several large ones.

In early May, several woods have carpets of Wild Garlic (''[[Allium ursinum]]''). King's Wood and Studland Wood, both owned by the [[National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty|National Trust]], are good examples. At around the same time and later some Downs have carpets of yellow Horseshoe Vetch (''[[Hippocrepis comosa]]'') and blue Chalk Milkwort (''[[Polygala calcarea]]''). In late May the field near [[Old Harry Rocks]] has a carpet of yellow Kidney Vetch (''[[Anthyllis vulneraria]]'').

Blue and white flowers of [[Sheep's bit]] (''[[Jasione montana]]'') and pink and flowers of Sea Bindweed (''[[Calystegia soldanella]]'') lend colour to [[Studland]] dunes in June. Both Heath Spotted Orchid (''[[Dactylorhiza maculata]]'') and Southern Marsh Orchid (''[[Dactylorhiza praetermissa]]'') are frequent on Corfe Common that month, and Harebells (''[[Campanula rotundifolia]]'') and Purple Betony (''[[Stachys officinalis]]'') flowers add colour to the Common in July.

Dorset Heath (''[[Erica ciliaris]]''), the [[county flower]], can be found in July and August in large numbers, especially on and around [[Hartland Moor]], in damper parts of the heathland. Bog Asphodel (''[[Narthecium ossifragum]]'') gives displays of yellow flowers there in early July. Marsh Gentian (''[[Gentiana pneumonanthe]]'') is found less frequently in similar areas from mid August to mid September.<ref name=flowers/>

==Human history==
A number of Romano-British sites have been discovered and studied on the Isle of Purbeck, including a villa at [[Bucknowle Farm]] near Corfe Castle, excavated between 1976 and 1991.<ref>Excavations on the Roman Villa at Bucknowle Farm, Corfe Castle, Summary of Work 1976-84, Dorset County Museum</ref> The Kimmeridge [[shale]] of the isle was worked extensively during the Roman period, into jewellery, decorative panels and furniture.<ref>{{cite book|title=Roman Britain|url=https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.6511|series=The Pelican History of England|year=1955|last=Richmond|first=I. A.|publisher=Penguin Books|location=Harmondsworth, Middlese|page=[https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.6511/page/n170 160]}}</ref>

At the extreme southern tip of Purbeck is [[St. Aldhelm's Chapel, St. Aldhelm's Head|St.Aldhelm's Chapel]], which is Norman work but built on a pre-Conquest Christian site marked with a circular earthwork and some graves. In 1957, the body of a 13th-century woman was found buried to the north of the chapel, suggesting there may have been a hermitage in the area. In 2000, the whole chapel site was declared a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The precise function of the chapel building is disputed, with suggestions that it may have been a religious retreat, a [[chantry]] for the souls of sailors who had drowned off St Aldhelm's Head or even a lighthouse or warning bell to warn sailors. [[Victorian restoration]] work of the chapel found signs that a [[beacon]] may have adorned the roof. The present cross on the roof is Victorian.

The town of Wareham retains its Saxon earth embankment wall and its churches have Saxon origins. One of these, St Martins-on-the-Walls, was built in 1030 and today contains traces of medieval and later wall paintings.

The village of Corfe Castle is named after the castle that overlooks the village, commanding a strategic gap in the Purbeck Ridge. The present castle dates from after the Conquest of 1066 but may have replaced Saxon work, as the village was where Saxon King [[Edward the Martyr]] was murdered in 978. The supposed location of his murder is traditionally on or near the castle mound. Corfe was one of the first English castles to be built in stone, at a time when earth and timber were the norm. This may have been due to the plentiful supply of good building stone on Purbeck.

Sir [[John Bankes]] bought the castle in 1635 and was the owner during the [[English Civil War]]. His wife, Lady [[Mary Bankes]], led the defence of the castle when it was twice besieged by Parliamentarian forces. The first siege, in 1643, was unsuccessful, but by 1645 Corfe was one of the last remaining royalist strongholds in southern England and fell to a siege ending in an assault. In March that year Corfe Castle was '"slighted" (demolished) on Parliament's orders. Owned by the National Trust, the castle is open to the public. It is protected as a Grade I listed building and a [[Scheduled Ancient Monument]].

==Geography==
{{More citations needed section|date=September 2022}}
A large part of the Isle of Purbeck is within the [[Dorset National Landscape]] area. A portion of the coast around [[Worbarrow Bay]] and the [[ghost town|ghost village]] of [[Tyneham]] is owned by the [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]], who have used it as a training area since 1943.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/02/10/last-living-person-village-died-for-england/ |title=Last living person from 'village that died for England' makes farewell visit |work=The Telegraph |date=February 10, 2024 |first=Ed |last=Baker |access-date=February 11, 2024 }}</ref> [[Lulworth Ranges]] are part of the Armoured Fighting Vehicles Gunnery School at [[Lulworth Camp]]. [[Tank]]s and other [[Armoured fighting vehicle|armoured vehicle]]s are used in this area and [[Shell (projectile)|shells]] are fired. Due to safety reasons, right of entry is only given when the army ranges are not in operation. Large red flags are flown and flashing warning lamps on [[Bindon Hill]] and [[St Alban's Head]] are lit when the ranges are in use.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/guidance/public-access-to-military-areas#lulworth-ranges |title=Public access to military areas: Lulworth ranges |work=[[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]] |date=2014-11-19 |access-date=2015-11-28 }}</ref>
At such times the entrance gates are locked and wardens patrol the area.
[[File:Swanage_-_geograph.org.uk_-_6609.jpg|thumb|[[Swanage]], the main town and resort of Purbeck, with the [[Purbeck Hills]] in the background.]]
Other places of note are:
* [[Swanage]], at the eastern end of the peninsula, is a [[seaside resort]]. At one time it was linked by a branch railway line from [[Wareham, Dorset|Wareham]]; this was closed in 1972, but has now partially reopened as the [[Swanage Railway]], a [[heritage railway]].
* [[Studland]]: This is a seaside village in its own sandy bay. Nearby, lying off-shore from The Foreland (also Handfast Point), are the chalk stacks named [[Old Harry Rocks]]: ''Old Harry and his Wife''.
*[[Poole Harbour]] is popular with bird watchers, windsurfers and yachters; it contains [[Brownsea Island]], the site of the [[Brownsea Island Scout camp|first-ever Scout camp]].
* [[Corfe Castle]] is in the centre of the isle, overlooking [[Corfe Castle (village)|Corfe Castle village]].
* [[Langton Matravers]], which was once the home of several boys' [[Preparatory school (UK)|preparatory schools]]; the last of these, [[The Old Malthouse School]], closed in 2007.
* [[Kimmeridge Bay]], with its fossil-rich Jurassic shale cliffs and the oldest continually working oil well in the UK.
* [[Worth Matravers]]: A village of stone houses around a pond, which is a regular feature on postcards of the Isle of Purbeck.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons|Isle of Purbeck}}
*[http://www.dorsetforyou.com Purbeck District Council]
*[http://www.WTM.org.uk Wareham Town Museum]
* {{gbmaprim|SY960820|Map and aerial photo sources}} centred on Corfe Castle at [[British national grid reference system|Grid reference]]: SY 960 820.

{{Coord|50.6376|N|2.0579|W|display=title}}

{{Jurassic Coast}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Purbeck, Isle of}}
[[Category:Isle of Purbeck| ]]
[[Category:Natural regions of Dorset]]
[[Category:Peninsulas of England]]
[[Category:Landforms of Dorset]]
[[Category:Purbeck District|Isle of]]