The Story of Poole (Page 4)

7. The Newfoundland Trade

In 1497 a discovery had been made across the Atlantic which unbeknown to the men of Poole would transform the fortunes of the people and the town for several hundred years to come.

It was the discovery of Newfoundland by one John Cabot. His original goal was to discover a western route to Asia. He had been granted letters patent by King Henry VII, "to search for unknown lands and bring back merchandise to Bristol."

What Cabot found in June 1497 was not only a "Newfoundland" but also one of the largest fishing grounds ever discovered by man. The seas were teeming with cod, so much so, that the passage of ships was impeded.

The news of the abundant fish stocks tempted some of the more adventurous mariners of Poole and by 1528 records show that large quantities of salt - an essential ingredient for the salt-fish trade was being landed at Poole.

Over the next fifty years the trade with Newfoundland steadily grew to meet the demand for fish from the catholic countries of Europe.

From the late 1600's until about 1815 Poole enjoyed a period of unprecedented prosperity. The recognition of Newfoundland as British territory made possible the development of the cod fisheries and the associated Newfoundland trade.

The evidence of this prosperity is in the magnificent Georgian houses and public buildings, which can still be seen to the present day. The merchants of Poole founded whole dynasties, which through inter marriage and alliance, formed an elite group, and became known as the "merchant princes" of Poole. By 1802 there were 350 ships in the Poole fleet.

The final defeat of Napoleon in 1814 was the major event that changed the fortunes of the Poole merchants. The trade with Newfoundland had flourished all through the Napoleonic wars because Portugal, Italy and Spain relied upon the supplies of dried fish provided by the Poole merchants. Peace meant that the French and Americans could now fish the waters and take over many of the services provided by Poole merchants. The result was rapid decline. Within a few years many of the merchants had ceased trading and faced ruin.

8. The Coming of the Railways and the Poole Bridges

William Ponsonby the local M.P. was responsible for building the first bridge from Poole to Hamworthy in 1834. Because Poole Corporation was virtually bankrupt at the time, Ponsonby promoted his own Act of Parliament to build a wooden toll bridge. The bridge had a very steep gradient that caused great problems for horses.

The bridge was replaced in 1885 by an Iron construction with much easier gradients. It was also privately owned and collected tolls up until 1926, when it was purchased by Poole Council. The following year amid great pomp and ceremony the present bridge was opened.

In the late 1990's history is repeating itself as Poole Borough Council reveals plans to try and build a new £40m "Superbridge" across the bay. As in 1834 the problem is finding the cash.

In 1847 the first Poole railway station was opened on the Hamworthy side of Poole Bridge and it was hoped that the economy would gradually pick up. Unfortunately, the reverse happened. The railway effectively "killed-off" the coastal shipping trade carried out from Poole. Within 5 years the fleet of ships had fallen from over sixty to practically nothing.

The situation was further aggravated when in 1872 a railway line was opened from Broadstone Junction bringing the railway right to the centre of Poole and sealing the fate of coastal shipping for good.

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