The Isle of Purbeck

Called Purbicinga in 948 and Porbi in the Domesday Book (1086) the name had settled to Purbic in 1221. It probably means Beak shaped ridge frequented by the bittern or snipe.

The Purbeck Ridge, a great chalk down, runs from Handfast Point and Old Harry Rocks in the east with narrow gaps at Ulwell, Corfe and Arish Mell to Lulworth in the West. This same chalk ridge then forms cliffs along another three miles of coastline as far as White Nothe near Ringstead. The Purbeck Ridge was the only dry road into Purbeck in ancient times until the causeway south from Wareham was laid to carry traffic on the road to Corfe.

The Isle of Purbeck is not really an island, not quite. The sea to the south, Poole Harbour to the east and the valley of the River Frome to the north do surround it on three sides with water but it is the boggy heath that ensured isolation in ancient times.

Nowadays access is still restricted to one main road and a few byways, some of which are closed occasionally when the Ministry of Defence firing ranges are in use. In consequence Purbeck remains an island of another sort, an island of tranquillity.

It has not always been tranquil. Purbeck has played it's part in history and has been a source of mineral wealth for millennia. Purbeck clays were prized by potters long before the Romans arrived and they have been extracted ever since. Shale was used for ornament and as a fuel for salt and alum extraction. Glass and Cement industries were established. Cathedrals, castles and entire cities are built of Purbeck stone and the largest onshore oil-field in Europe produces millions of barrels daily from far below.

Stay at The Priory Hotel when you visit Purbeck
Or take a tour of the Purbecks. Start at: St. Aldhelms.
Sources.