When Was Poole Harbour's Heyday?

The earliest inhabitants of the Poole Harbour in Dorset were the Celtic Durotriges who lived in the area around Wareham during the Iron Age about 2, 000 years ago. The Poole Longboat, a ten metre-long boat made from a single oak tree and dating back to 295 BC is the oldest artifact at the Poole Harbour. Hamworthy was the preferred harbour of the Romans when they landed on England's south coast in the first century.

In 1433, the Poole harbour was made the Port of the Staple, or the chief seaport of Dorset county, and it ceased to be the fishing village that it was at the time the Norman conquerors arrived in England. Poole Harbour became a flourishing and wealthy seaport when it started got the royal approval from Queen Victoria and commenced trading with Newfoundland in Canada, thus opening up Britain's trade links with North America. However, Poole's status as one of Britain's chief seaports gradually decreased as other ports in the country also started trading with North America.