Furzebrook

Furzebrook
Dorset
Houses in Furzebrook
Location
Grid reference:	SY930837
Location:	50°39’9"N, 2°5’53"W
Data
Post town:	Wareham
Postcode:	BH20
Dialling code:	01929
Local Government
Council:	Dorset
Parliamentary constituency:	South Dorset

Furzebrook is a small village on the Isle of Purbeck, in Dorset It is about 2.0 miles (3.2 km) south of Wareham and two miles north-west of Corfe Castle. Church Knowle (to whose civil parish Furzebrook has been assigned) is a mile and a half to the south, on the other side of the sharp edge that is Knowle Hill.

The name Furzebrook means exactly what it appears to: 'furze brook'. The first use of the name was probably by Furzebrook Farm. Furzebrook became the centre of the clay industry as all the local Purbeck Ball Clay was taken there to ripen by exposing. The clay was repeatedly turned for six months. As the ball clay ripened it acquired plasticity and became suitable to mix with various other clays which made them more plastic.

At Furzebrook there are several narrow-gauge railway tracks; these converged from outlying local mines and claypits, the Furzebrook Railway. A further narrow-gauge line ran to Ridge Wharf.

As the Wareham to Swanage branch line of the London and South Western Railway was built it passed through Furzebrook and therefore a lot of clay was transferred via the mainline trains. Furzebrook is now well known as being the railhead for the oil extracted from the local Wytch Farm oil well.

See also

• Blue Pool is part of the Furzebrook area

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Furzebrook)