Sandbanks facts for kids
Sandbanks is a small piece of land that sticks out into the water. It's like a narrow arm of land, also called a spit or peninsula, that crosses the entrance to Poole Harbour in Dorset, England. This special place is famous for its beautiful beaches and very expensive homes. In 2005, people said Sandbanks had some of the most valuable land in the world! It's even been called "Britain's Palm Beach" because it's so fancy.
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Exploring Sandbanks
Sandbanks connects to a place called Studland by a special boat called the Sandbanks Ferry. This ferry is a chain ferry that pulls itself across the water using chains. The water around Sandbanks, especially the part of Poole Harbour called North Haven Lake, is perfect for water sports. You can see lots of small boats and people enjoying activities like sailing. The main office for the Royal Yachting Association (which is all about boating) is also here, along with a sailing school.
From Sandbanks, you can look north across Poole Harbour towards the town of Poole. If you look south, you'll see the wide English Channel and the pretty coastline of Studland and Swanage in the west.
Homes in Sandbanks
Sandbanks is mostly a place where people live. The houses stretch from the harbour all the way to The Avenue, which is the eastern edge of Poole. Many of these homes are very large and can sell for millions of pounds!
A Place of History
The Haven Hotel in Sandbanks was built in 1887. A famous inventor named Guglielmo Marconi stayed there in the late 1890s. He did many important experiments with wireless radio signals right from the hotel! In fact, in 1899, Sandbanks became one of the very first places in the world to have a permanent wireless radio station.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), which rescues people at sea, used to have a lifeboat stationed at Sandbanks starting in 1865. The brave crew had to travel all the way from Poole in a horse-drawn carriage every time they needed to launch the boat. Because of this, a new Poole Lifeboat Station was opened in 1882 at Fisherman's Dock in Poole.
How Sandbanks is Governed
Sandbanks is part of an area called the Canford Cliffs ward. This ward chooses two people, called councillors, to help make decisions for the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council. Sandbanks is also part of the larger Poole parliamentary constituency, which means it has a representative in the UK Parliament.
Images for kids
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Large houses at Sandbanks, seen from the ferry to Brownsea Island
