Brownsea Hoodies

Sunset over Brownsea Number of views as of 14th January 2018 = 800. The evening sun slips away over Brownsea, the largest of the islands in Poole Harbour, Dorset, England. Best known as the birthplace of Scouting, Lord Baden Powell held the inaugural Scout camp on the island in 1907. Reached by ferry from Poole Quay or Sandbanks, the island is now maintained by the National Trust and is open to visitors during the months of April through to September. The private jetties in the foreground, belong to some of the houses in Sandbanks 'Millionaire's Row', the 4th most expensive property location on the planet. Date: 5th July 2010.

Brownsea Castle Number of views as of 22nd April 2019 = 1540. The view that most people see on arrival at Brownsea Island, the largest of the eight islands within Poole Harbour, Dorset, England. The castle was built in the 16th century and was part of the south coast defence system put into place by King Henry VIII, along with Portland, Sandsfoot and Hurst. The castle was renovated during the 19th century and converted into an impressive private residence. Despite being badly damaged by fire in 1895, the castle was rebuilt and when the National Trust acquired the island in 1962, the castle was leased to the John Lewis partnership, who use it as a private hotel for employees and their families. Date: 30th August 2010.

*Brownsea Sunset, November 2020* The sun setting over Brownsea Island, the largest of the islands in Poole Harbour (Dorset, England). Date: 5th November 2020.

St Mary's Church, Brownsea Island Number of views as of 18th March 2016 = 1000. Completed in 1854, St Mary's church on Brownsea Island (near Poole, Dorset, England) was funded by William Waugh, a former Colonel in the British Army, who purchased the island a couple of years earlier for £13,000. Waugh was also responsible for building a pottery works on the island which once employed more than 200 people, and for the construction of the now abandoned village of Maryland on the western shores of the island. The church was named for Waugh's wife Mary. Brownsea Island has been owned and managed by the National Trust since 1962 and is open to visitors during the months of April to September. St Mary's however is owned by the Church of England...

Brownsea Sundown Number of views as of 18th October 2018 = 740. As the sun was setting over Poole, got this shot of Brownsea Island from my vantage point at Evening Hill on the Sandbanks Road. Brownsea is of course the birth place of Scouting, being the location of the experimental first Scout camp run by Lord Robert Baden-Powell for 20 boys of mixed social backgrounds in August 1907. Brownsea Island can be visited during the summer months by boat from Poole Quay or Sandbanks. Date: 17th April 2008. Click here to see another shot from Evening Hill

Its a common weed in Britain. Its often found along railway tracks and on wasteland and so usually not noticed - which is a shame. Rosebay willowherb has pinkish flowers that progress up a central spike as the summer goes on. You can tell what month it is by how far up the spike the flowers are open. I came across this clump on the nature reserve of Ham Hill that borders Poole Harbour in Dorset, UK. Its supposedly the second biggest natural harbour in the world (after Sydney) and you just get a glimpse of it (and Brownsea island) through the flowers. I've painted this in oil on a 16x12 inch board based on my own photos using my wet into wet technique but in two layers with drying time between.

Across Poole Harbour, February 2021 A tranquil scene looking across Poole Harbour (Dorset, England) from the beach at Hamworthy Park. The groyne draws your eye into the picture, towards the Purbeck hills in the background. The island far left is Brownsea. Date: 6th February 2021.

*Maid of the Islands* The Maid of the Islands, just about to leave Brownsea Island for Sandbanks. Brownsea is the largest of the islands in Poole Harbour, Dorset, England, the second largest natural harbour in the world. Date: 17th April 2017.

The Dorset Lakes This is a shot of Poole Harbour (Dorset, England), taken from the footpath running along the south coast of Brownsea Island, looking south west towards the Purbeck Hills. Poole Harbour is the second largest natural harbour in the world, after Sydney, Australia. Brownsea (or Branksea), at 1.5 miles long and 0.75 miles wide, is the largest of the eight islands in Poole Harbour and is known as the birthplace of the Scout movement, following Baden-Powell's experimental camp held on the island in 1907. The island top right is Furzey Island, which from a distance looks uninhabited. However, the outer circle of trees hide no less than 22 oil wells, part of the Wytch Farm oil field, the largest onshore oil field in Western Europ...