Oakley, Dorset
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Oakley is a village community in
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 England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. Sitting just south of the River Stour it borders the suburb of
Merley Merley is a large housing estate in Poole, 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 ...
and the village of
Canford Magna Canford Magna is a village in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole district, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. The village is situated just south of the River Stour and lies between the towns of Wimborne Minster and Poole. The vi ...
to the East and South and the Town of
Wimborne Wimborne Minster (often referred to as Wimborne, ) is a market town in Dorset in South West England, and the name of the Church of England church in that town. It lies at the confluence of the River Stour and the River Allen, north of Pool ...
2 km to the North. The B3073, which links Wimborne and Poole, runs through the community. Oakley has four major roads; Oakley Hill, Oakley Lane, Oakley Road and Merley Ways and approximately 800 individual
dwellings In law, a dwelling (also known as a residence, abode or domicile) is a self-contained unit of accommodation – such as a house, apartment, mobile home, houseboat, recreational vehicle, or other "substantial" structure – used as a home by on ...
. Smaller roads include Ullswater Road, Silverwood Close and Harrier Drive.


Buildings and architecture

A conservation area covers Oakley and its attractive Lady Wimborne Cottages. Oakley Hill, Oakley Lane and Cruxton Farm are all listed as containing Buildings of Local Importance by the Borough of Poole. The Cottages date back to the late 19th Century when they were built by Lord Wimborne to house specialist workers from his Estate. The cottages were beautifully designed and so were given the title 'Lady Wimborne' cottages. Nowadays many of them have been extended, though keeping to the original style and building materials. The project was started by his mother, Charlotte Guest, and continued by his wife
Cornelia Guest Cornelia Cochrane Churchill Guest (born November 28, 1963) is a New York socialite, author, actress, and the Debutante of the Decade for the 1980s of the International Debutante Ball in New York City. She is a vegan, and known for her advocacy of ...
. Most of the houses in Merley Ways and Oakley Hill were added in the 1930s and 1940s. They range from large,
detached A single-family detached home, also called a single-detached dwelling, single-family residence (SFR) or separate house is a free-standing residential building. It is defined in opposition to a multi-family residential dwelling. Definitions ...
, villa-style houses, to more modest
bungalow A bungalow is a small house or cottage that is typically single or one and a half storey, if a smaller upper storey exists it is frequently set in the roof and Roof window, windows that come out from the roof, and may be surrounded by wide ve ...
residences for the more elderly residents. The houses at the bottom of Merley Ways have access to the River Stour and many families own rowing boats and canoes. Most houses have large gardens, private garages and some have swimming pools. Silverwood Close, Cruxton Farm and Harrier Drive are the newest roads in the community. The houses are large, detached and modern with those at the bottom of Silverwood Close looking out onto farming fields and the River Stour at the bottom of the hill.


The Willett Arms pub

The largest landmark in Oakley, The Willett Arms is situated on the top of Oakley Hill. Originally a private Public House, the Willett as it is referred to by locals, served travellers on the Wimborne to Poole road, as well as the
Southampton and Dorchester Railway The Southampton and Dorchester Railway was an English railway company formed to join Southampton in Hampshire with Dorchester in Dorset, with hopes of forming part of a route from London to Exeter. It received parliamentary authority in 1845 a ...
. Once the Railway line was closed the pub became less popular until the community in Merley was built and Oakley and Canford Magna began to grow. The railway line was converted into the
Castleman Trailway The Castleman Trailway is a footpath in Southern England. Portions of the trailway are also used as a cyclepath but the middle section from East Wimborne (close to The Old Thatch public house) to the River Allen bridge (just south of Wimbor ...
and the Pub now serves the community, tourists, cyclists and walkers.


The Merley Community Centre

The centre serves the residents of Oakley, Merley and Canford Magna. Built in the 1960s It has two main halls and a large community lounge. The small hall is home to the Footlight Dance Academy, and the Oakley Art Club. The Val Jones Memorial Hall is home to the Merley Karate Academy, part of the Dorset Goju Ryu Karate Association and led by
Sensei The term "先生", read in Chinese, in Japanese, in Korean, and in Vietnamese, is an honorific used in the Sinosphere. In Japanese, the term literally means "person born before another" or "one who comes before". It is generally used ...
Penny Hughes.UK Goju karate dojo directory
/ref> The community lounge is home to the Merley Social Club and tends to serve the residents of Merley. Many Oakley residents are members of Canford Magna Golf Club instead.


The old Post Office

There used to be a post office/newsagents and a small supermarket at the cross roads between Merley Lane and the A341. These closed down in the late 1970s after the shopping centre on the new Merley housing estate was opened. The old supermarket was a restaurant for many years, but is now a solicitors office.


Merley House

Merley House is an ancient manor house which belonged to Canford estate and housed Merley Bird Gardens, a collection of exotic birds in a picturesque walled garden, on its estate. It is now a holiday caravan park.


Oakley House

A small, mental health hospital for older people, Oakley House sits surrounded by fields used by a local dairy herd. The hospital was constructed in the 1850s and is staffed by the Wimborne & Purbeck Mental Health Team. It also provides support for carers. The hospital has a large garden of its own and a small wood in the grounds.


Demographics and education

The community is home to mainly middle- and upper-middle-class families with a proportion of the adults being employed by
Cobham plc Cobham Limited is a British aerospace manufacturing company based in Bournemouth, England. Cobham was originally founded by Sir Alan Cobham as Flight Refuelling Limited (FRL) in 1934. During 1939, British airline Imperial Airways performed ...
in the field of Defence, Avionics and Surveillance Systems, and in occupations such as teaching. Many of the other adults work in
Bournemouth Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...
and
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 ...
, with some commuting to London. The Independent
Canford School Canford School is a public school (English fee-charging boarding and day 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 ...
is situated nearby and serves the community alongside
Poole Grammar School Poole Grammar School (commonly abbreviated to PGS) is an 11–18 selective boys grammar school and academy in the coastal town of Poole in Dorset, in the south of England. The school is twinned with Parkstone Grammar School. It is a member of t ...
for boys,
Parkstone Grammar School Parkstone Grammar School (commonly abbreviated to "PGS") is a selective, all-girls academy school in Poole specializing in science and languages, on the southern coast of England. Admissions The school is situated in the northern end of the to ...
for girls and the mixed
Corfe Hills School Corfe Hills School is a co-educational upper school in Broadstone, Dorset, Broadstone, Poole, Dorset, England, in the urban fringe between Poole and Wimborne. The school became an Academy (English school), academy in 2011. The school serves Corf ...
. Merley First School sits on the border between Merley and Oakley and many of the community's children are in attendance.


Relationship with Merley

Merley, a large suburb and housing estate was built alongside Oakley and Canford Magna in the 1970s. Originally the developers wanted to call it Oakley Garden Village but this met with protests from the residents of Oakley, and the name Merley was chosen. There is no defined border between Oakley, Merley and Canford Magna and only the last is signposted. Furthering the confusion, the Oakley Shopping Centre is in Merley, whilst the Merley Community Centre is technically in Oakley. A simple way of dividing the communities is to take the bottom of Oakley Straight, pronouncing everything south and east of Harrier Drive, Merley, and everything north and west, Oakley. The residents of Oakley frequently use the amenities in Merley, which include a butcher's shop, a post office, a doctor's surgery, a pharmacy, a Chinese takeaway and a convenience store.


References


External links

{{authority control Villages in Dorset Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole