Brownsea Castle
Brownsea Castle, historically known as Branksea Castle, is located on the far east end of the island, closest to the entrance to Poole Harbour, and is visible as you approach the island by public boat. Unfortunately, Island visitors can’t look around the castle, because it is now run as a private hotel by the John Lewis Partnership for its employees. It has changed a lot since it was built by Henry VIII as one of many coastal defences. In the early eighteenth century, the island was owned by William Benson MP and it he converted the castle into a home from the military blockade it had once been.
Colonel Waugh made a lot of changes to the castle in the mid 19th century, including building the clock tower and gatehouse you can see as you leave the Quay end of the island, as well as many other buildings. He also decorated the inside of the castle, and created a new family pier.
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The family pier (now called Castle Pier)
Clock Tower and Gatehouse
Sadly, a fire in 1896 damaged most of the castle. At the time, the island did not have any fire appliances, and islanders formed a human chain of buckets of water to try and save the castle, but they were unable to . The owner at the time, Major Kenneth Balfour, rebuilt the castle, and installed fire-fighting equipment before selling it.
The Van Raalte’s bought the island in 1901 and converted it into a vast Edwardian country estate. They received lots of guests to their island, including noble families and even royalty. A nine-hole golf course was created, and pheasant shoots were held. To look after them and their guests, they employed servants and ladies’ maids, and to entertain their guests, a band was formed of island workers. They had over 60 members of staff altogether. Because the island is so large, sometimes it was the job of the servants to round up the Van Raalte’s children and get them clean and dressed for visitors!
Brownsea Castle
When Charles Van Raalte passed away, his wife Florence gradually had fewer parties and guests, and eventually left the island in 1924. The next owner sold most of the contents of the castle, and it was left mostly empty until the 1960s, when the Island was bought by the National Trust. John Lewis restored the castle on a 99 year lease from the Trust, and opened it as a hotel for their staff.
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