Poole Harbour owes its existence to the boating industry!

Having received £75,000 for refurbishment, Poole Museum has used the money well. The permanent exhibitions of the museum are based on relating the history of the town.
On the first floor it shows that Poole owes its existence to the fishing industry and the boat building business. It uses video footage and interviews to explain the full extent of this history, whilst also incorporating the model boat ‘A Lady of Avenel’, which was built in Poole, and paintings of ships constructed in Poole such as ‘The Brigantine Venus’.

The Studland Bay wreck is detailed, along with a model replica of the ship and personal belongings that were found, such as wooden combs. The exhibition has many items on display including the equipment that was used to assemble the boats in Poole and used on the boats such as the large ship’s binnacle that is displayed. The entrance to the museum also boasts the largest log boat in the world, which was recovered in 1934 and is thought to date back to 300 BC.

The lay out of the first floor is undoubtedly well presented, with the skilful use of light and space. The large amount of information available does not make it come across as crowded or cluttered. A clever use of multi-media is made by displaying large photos, videos and written explanations of the fishing and boat building industries, to keep both children and adults entertained and interested.