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 its award-winning beach.[ "Island on the market for £2.5 million", BBC News 13 April 2005] The Sandbanks and Canford Cliffs coastline area has been dubbed "Britain's Palm Beach".[Morris, Steven. " £3m for modest bungalow needing TLC", The Guardian 2 November 2005.]
History
In its early years Sandbanks was known as "Parkstone-on-Sea".
The area was largely undeveloped until the 20th century.
Sandbanks Road was constructed after the First World War, linking the peninsula to the
Parkstone area of Poole.
, looking towards Sandbanks]]
Geography
Sandbanks is connected to
Studland by the
Sandbanks Ferry, a
cable ferry across the mouth of the harbour. The Sandbanks area of Poole Harbour (known as North Haven Lake) is used for water sports and by light marina craft. The north side is home to the Southern Headquarters of the Royal Yachting Association and a sailing school.
Views to the north are across Poole Harbour and to Poole. To the south views extend across the English Channel and to the coastline of Studland and Swanage in the west.
Property
Sandbanks is a predominantly residential area, with homes stretching east from the Harbour to The Avenue, the eastern boundary of Poole. Homes often sell for millions of pounds.
Facilities
The
Haven Hotel in Sandbanks, constructed in 1887, was where Guglielmo Marconi performed wireless experiments in the late 1890s while living there. Sandbanks was the third place in the world to have a permanent wireless station (1899).
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution stationed a lifeboat at Sandbanks in 1865. The crew had to travel from Poole in a horse-drawn carriage whenever it was launched, so a new Poole Lifeboat Station was opened at Fisherman's Dock on Poole Quay in 1882.
Politics
Sandbanks is part of the Canford Cliffs ward which elects two councillors to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, and also the Poole parliamentary constituency.
Notable present or former residents
Transport
Sandbanks is accessible by car on two B-roads: B3369 from Parkstone and B3065 from Westbourne, or via
Sandbanks Ferry from Studland. Sandbanks, along with Bournemouth and Poole, has easy access to the M27 motorway at
Southampton via the A338 and A31 roads.
The nearest railway station is Parkstone, about 4 km away, but there are no public transport routes connecting there. Instead, the Purbeck Breezer bus route runs daily from Bournemouth railway station, the major station in the South East Dorset conurbation; seasonal routes (some departures only) run from Poole bus station, near to Poole railway station.
External links
