Broadstone

Church of St John the Baptist, Broadstone
  © Copyright Chris Downer and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

Broadstone is a suburb of Poole. The Parish of Broadstone was created in 1906, formerly it had been a part of the Parish of Canford Magna. It is located 3 miles from Hamworthy railway station and 7 miles from Bournemouth International Airport. The ward had a population of 10,303 at the 2011 Census. The origin of the name of the village is unknown. Legend has it that a number of "broad stones" were laid across a local stream to enable people to cross without wetting their feet. This stream flows in the valley between Clarendon Road and Springdale Road, and the stones were located close to the Brookdale Farm.

In 1840, "Broadstone Farm" was built, and a railway line bypassed it in 1847. The first railway station was built in 1872 as part of the Southampton and Dorchester Railway and named "New Poole Junction" and, after several name revisions, became "Broadstone" in 1890. The arrival of the railway in Broadstone in the late 19th century had a major impact on the village. Prior to the railway, Broadstone was a small agricultural community, but the arrival of the railway enabled the village to grow and develop. The station finally closed in 1966.

The Parish Church, dedicated to St John, was built in 1888 and dedicated on St. John the Baptist's Day, 24th June, 1888 by Bishop Wordsworth. For a long period there was also a 'tin tabernacle' Mission Church on the corner of York Road and Mission Road.

The Victorian biologist, naturalist and philosopher Alfred Russel Wallace, who independently proposed the same evolutionary theory as Charles Darwin, lived in Broadstone during the last few years of his life. He built his own house, named Old Orchard, near what is now Wallace Road.

Methodist Church, Broadstone
  © Copyright Chris Downer and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

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