Alderney is a suburb of the town of

Poole Poole () is a coastal town and seaport on the south coast of England in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area in Dorset, England. The town is east of Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

, England, south of

Wallisdown Wallisdown is a residential and commercial area situated partly in Bournemouth and partly in Poole, in southern England. The appropriate ward is called Wallisdown and Winton West. Geography Wallisdown is situated on the border between Bourne ...

and west of Alder Hills. Until 2019, Alderney was an

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected t ...

, which had a population of 11,423 at the 2011 census.

Geography

The boundaries of the former Alderney electoral ward are roughly defined as being all areas north of Herbert Avenue, west of Alder Road (between the junction at Herbert Avenue and the Wallisdown roundabout), south of Wallisdown Road (between Wallisdown and Mountbatten roundabouts) and streets branching off both sides of Ringwood Road (between Mountbatten roundabout and the junction with Herbert Avenue). Some of these areas are more commonly referred to as other suburbs e.g. the area southwest of Wallisdown roundabout is often referred to as

(historically Highmore) and the area around the junction of Herbert Avenue and Alder Road is known as Rossmore.

Bourne Valley nature reserve

Bourne Valley nature reserve is a

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

(SSSI). Situated to the north of Alderney, the area includes the protected lowland heath, Bourne Bottom. The site is approximately , and consists mainly of boggy heath and trees. Bourne Valley is the start of one of the tributaries forming the Bourne Stream which eventually runs into Bournemouth. Three culverts which emerge from under Ringwood Road start the stream, and, according to local anti-pollution body, the Bourne Stream Partnership, it is believed they come from Canford Heath,

Sembcorp Sembcorp Industries is a Singaporean state-owned energy and urban development company. Sembcorp's marine division provided a variety of services, including the engineering and construction of offshore platforms for oil extraction, until it w ...

water works, and road run-off.

Bourne Valley Park

To the south of Evering Avenue is Bourne Valley Park, formerly known as Alderney Recreation ground. The area was developed between 2003 and 2007 by the Bourne Stream partnership after the area became a problem: football pitches that were too boggy to be used, antisocial behaviour from motorcycle riders, pollution from nearby commercial ventures and rubbish. The open space consists of wooded areas, heathland, streams, a pond, much open grass land, a large adventure park and off-road bike park.

History

Until the 1940s, most of the area between Herbert Avenue and Ringwood Road was heathland known as Alderney Heath. After the Second World War there was a great need for housing due to a sharp increase in population. Poole Council built many council owned houses in Alderney in the late forties and fifties, mostly semi-detached houses and terraces of four. Many of the street names in the estate were themed around the

Channel Islands The Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They are divided into two Crown Dependencies: the Jersey, Bailiwick of Jersey, which is the largest of the islands; and the Bailiwick of Guernsey, ...

Later, more housing was added, generally bungalows. In 2023, 24 homes for homeless people were opened on the grounds of the former Bourne Valley Community Centre.

Buildings and landmarks

Alderney Hospital

Alderney Hospital was built in 1888 for the care of the elderly; it now specialises in dementia and mental health with both in and out patients.

Alderney Manor

Alderney Cottage, later Alderney Manor, was sited on the Poole to Ringwood road between Knighton Bottom and Howe Corner from the early 19th century. A housing estate now occupies the site. The politician, writer and sportsman

Grantley Berkeley The Honourable George Charles Grantley FitzHardinge Berkeley (10 February 1800 – 20 February 1881), known as Grantley Berkeley, was a British politician, writer and sportsman. Background and education Berkeley was the sixth son of Frederick Be ...

was the tenant there from around 1860 until 1880, just before his death. The artist

Augustus John Augustus Edwin John (4 January 1878 – 31 October 1961) was a Welsh painter, draughtsman, and etcher. For a time he was considered the most important artist at work in Britain: Virginia Woolf remarked that by 1908 the era of John Singer Sarg ...

established an artists' colony there in 1911. Faye Hammill relates how he lived there with "his five legitimate children, his mistress

Dorelia McNeill Dorelia McNeill (born Dorothy McNeill; 19 December 1881 – 23 July 1969) was best known as a model for the Welsh artists Gwen John and Augustus John, was the common-law wife of the latter, and has been credited for inspiring "his first unequ ...

, and his two children by her; and they remained there until 1927, in the company of numerous long-term guests". One frequent visitor was fellow artist

Henry Lamb Henry Taylor Lamb (21 June 1883 – 8 October 1960) was an Australian-born British painter. A follower of Augustus John, Lamb was a founder member of the Camden Town Group in 1911 and of the London Group in 1913. Early life Henry Lamb was bo ...

. Aspects of John's life during this period were used as background by Margaret Kennedy in her novel '' The Constant Nymph (1924).

Alderney Manor Community Centre

Alderney Manor Community Centre is a social venue which holds classes and events and can be hired out by organisations and members of the public. The venue is used as a polling station for local and general elections.

Schools

* St Aldhelm's Academy (formerly Rossmore Community College and Martin Kemp-Welch School) * Manorside Primary School * Winchelsea Special School

Ward profile

The electoral ward was Poole's second most densely populated area with 31 people to each

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. ...

(2.5 acres) and suffers much higher than average levels of poverty, illiteracy and crime.

Politics

Alderney is part of the Alderney and Bourne Valley ward for elections to

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, which styles itself BCP Council, is the Local government in England, local authority for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, a local government district in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. Th ...

. Alderney is also part of the Bournemouth West parliamentary constituency.

References

External links

{{Commons category-inline Areas of Poole