Brownsea Island

Brownsea Island
The castle and piers on Brownsea Island
Brownsea Island is located in Dorset
Brownsea Island
Brownsea Island
Location within Dorset
OS grid referenceSZ019879
Civil parish
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townPOOLE
Postcode districtBH13
Dialling code01202
PoliceDorset
FireDorset and Wiltshire
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Dorset
50°41′30″N 01°58′20″W / 50.69167°N 1.97222°W / 50.69167; -1.97222

Brownsea Island is the largest of the islands in Poole Harbour in the county of Dorset, England. The island is owned by the National Trust with the northern half managed by the Dorset Wildlife Trust. Much of the island is open to the public and includes areas of woodland and heath with a wide variety of wildlife, together with cliff top views across Poole Harbour and the Isle of Purbeck.

The island was the location of an experimental camp in 1907 that led to the formation of the Scout movement the following year. Access is by public ferry or private boat; in 2017 the island received 133,340 visitors.[1] The island's name probably comes from Old English Brūnoces īeg = "Brūnoc's island".[2]

  1. ^ "ALVA – Association of Leading Visitor Attractions". alva.org.uk. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  2. ^ "Brownsea Island Key to English Place-names". The University of Nottingham. Retrieved 6 December 2020.