Merley is a large housing estate in the unparished area of

Poole Poole () is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east. Since 1 April 2019, the local authority is Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Counc ...

, a mile (2 km) south of Wimborne Minster. Originally called Myrle, Merley was a manor in the tithing of Great Canford (or Canford Magna). The village merges with that of Oakley, and the housing estate was originally going to be called "Oakley Garden Village", note Oakley Shops and other signposts around the community but the name was changed. The housing estate only covers part of the area that was originally called Merley/Myrle. The

ward is Merley and Bearwood. The population of this ward taken at the 2011 census was 10,392.

Statistics

Merley is part of the greater ward called "Merley and Bearwood" and here are some statistics on this area:

People

* 10,392 people live in Merley and Bearwood. * There are about 4078

dwellings In law, a dwelling (also known as a residence or an abode) is a self-contained unit of accommodation used by one or more households as a home - such as a house, apartment, mobile home, houseboat, vehicle, or other "substantial" structure. The ...

in the ward * There are 2228 people over the age of 60 living in this ward * 52.54% of people over the age of 16 are currently married.

Housing

* 88.99% of residents either own their homes outright or with a mortgage. * 5.27% of residents live in council or housing association homes. * 4.27% of residents live in privately rented homes.

Environment

* The population density of Merley and Bearwood is approximately 1673 people per square mile (646/km²). * The actual size of the ward is 6.4 square miles (17 km²).

Employment

* The biggest industry in this area (with 16.62% of people) are the wholesale and retail trade motor mechanic industries. * The biggest male industry in this area (with 21.86% of males) is the manufacturing industry. * The biggest females industry in this area (with 21.84% of females) is the health and social work industry. Source: First release of the 2001 Census data, released in September 2002.

History

The 1970s housing estate surrounding Sopwith Crescent was built over a period of several years from the Oakley Straight end on former farmland. It was originally called Oakley Garden Village by the developers, but soon became incorporated into the adjacent older village.

Education and schools

Merley First School serves Merley and Oakley and is one of the founding members of the Wimborne Academy Trust. The private

Canford School Canford School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for pupils aged 13–18). Situated in 300 acres of parkland near to the market town of Wimborne Minster in Dorset, south west England, it is one of the largest sch ...

is also located nearby at Canford Magna.

Sport and leisure

Merley has a

Non-League football Non-League football describes football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is specifically used to de ...

club

Merley Cobham Sports F.C. Merley Cobham Sports Football Club is a football club based in Merley, in Poole, Dorset, England. The club is affiliated to the Dorset County Football Association and is a FA chartered Standard club. They play their home games at Cobham Sport ...

who play at Cobham Sports and Social Club.

Politics

Merley is part of the Bearwood and Merley ward, which elects 3 councillors to

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council is a unitary local authority for the district of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole in England that came into being on 1 April 2019. It was created from the areas that were previously administered by ...

References

External links

* {{authority control Villages in Dorset Areas of Poole