Furzebrook is a small
village on the
Isle of Purbeck, in the county of
Dorset in the south of
England. It is about south of
Wareham and northwest of
Corfe Castle, and is in the
civil parish of
Church Knowle.
The name Furzebrook derives from the furze/
gorse
''Ulex'' (commonly known as gorse, furze, or whin) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. The genus comprises about 20 species of thorny evergreen shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae. The species are n ...
and a brook. The first use of the name was probably by Furzebrook Farm. Furzebrook became the centre of the clay industry as all the local
Purbeck Ball Clay was taken there to ripen by exposing. The clay was repeatedly turned for six months. As the ball clay ripened it acquired plasticity and became suitable to mix with various other clays which made them more plastic.
At Furzebrook there are several narrow-gauge railway tracks; these converged from outlying local mines and claypits, the
Furzebrook Railway. A further narrow-gauge line ran to
Ridge
A ridge or a mountain ridge is a geographical feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for an extended distance. The sides of the ridge slope away from the narrow top on either side. The line ...
Wharf.
As the Wareham to Swanage branch line of the
London and South Western Railway was built it passed through Furzebrook and therefore a lot of clay was transferred via the mainline trains. Furzebrook is now well known as being the railhead for the oil extracted from the local
Wytch Farm oil well.
See also
*
Blue Pool is part of the Furzebrook area
*
Furzebrook Railway, also known as the Pike Brothers' Tramway
References
External links
{{authority control
Isle of Purbeck
Villages in Dorset