STUDLAND 2015

It was a bright, sunny, morning with a cloudless blue sky, but a chilly NE wind. We have permission from the owners of the Knoll House Hotel to walk through their grounds, so we assembled at Knoll beach car park, and set off through the woodland, and up into the hotel grounds. From there, we made our way onto Godlingston Heath, and up to the Agglestone via the Puckstone. Then down the steps, through the boggy area, and back to the hotel.

Knoll House Hotel

Knoll House was built by the Bankes family in the late 1890's and leased  to the Duke of Hamilton around 1905. His family and servants travelled by rail in their private carriages from Scotland to Swanage, and then on to Studland to spend long summer holidays there.

Between 1904 and 1923 various schemes had been proposed to connect Sandbanks to what is now known as Shell Bay (previously “South Haven”). Eventually, in July 1923 the Bournemouth-Swanage Motor Road and Ferry Company was formed, and this seems to have been the final straw for the Hamilton family. Along with the ferry connection to “the mainland”, the Company intended to build a toll road from the ferry terminal to Studland, and this would pass through the front garden of Knoll House. The Hamilton family left in 1924 leaving behind a few copper items, which at one time were displayed in the main lounge of the Hotel; perhaps they still are.

By 1930 Knoll House was boarded up, and the garden was overgrown. In December 1930, a Dorchester hotelier, F. Chris Smith, and his wife Marjorie (`Poppy'), obtained the leasehold for £225 per annum with an option to buy the freehold for £7,000. Knoll House Hotel opened on 31st March 1931 with accommodation for 20 guests, and the freehold was taken up.

During World War II, the Hotel was requisitioned by the Army, and the NAAFI occupied the children's dining room. When King George VI, Churchill, Montgomery, and Eisenhower came to Fort Henry to observe troop exercises, they visited the Hotel for refreshments afterwards.

In 1959, the Hotel was bought by Col. Kenneth Ferguson, and it has been in his family ever since. However, it has just been put on the market for £15m. I hope this won't affect our permission to walk there.

The Chain Ferry

Having mentioned the ferry, here are some interesting facts I discovered about the chain:

1.     It's made of hardened steel and a new one starts with an extra 55 yards on top of the length actually required for operation.

2.     It's 1,235 ft long (376.5 m), costs £24,000 (2006 price), and lasts 15 to 18 months.

3.     As the chain wears, it lengthens, and two links have to be removed every fortnight to maintain the optimum length and tension.