Pool is a coastal city and an important port on the English Channel. It has also been developing since the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries as a seaside resort. It is now linked by a single board of directors to neighboring Bournemouth and Christchurch to form one of England's major south coast holiday resorts.
From the beginning of its existence, due to the excellent natural conditions, Pool was primarily a port. In the Middle Ages, it grew into an important center for the wool trade, and during the colonization of America, it became one of the main ports from which ships departed towards the New World. Its importance as a commercial port began to lose its importance at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries to Liverpool, Southampton and Plymouth.
Tourism in Pool began to develop only at the end of the 19th century. Today, the local sandy beaches, such as Sandbanks Beach and Canford Cliffs Beach, are appreciated by lovers of seaside holidays, as well as the neighboring beaches of the more famous Bournemouth and Christchurch. Another attraction of the Pool are cruises to the nearby Brownsea Island, a nature reserve with numerous colonies of seabirds.
The most attractive part of the Pool for tourists is the Quay waterfront with many restaurants and bars and the bustling harbor life. The former Towne Cellar depots now houses the city's history center. In turn, at the Scaplen's Court Museum, located in an Elizabethan city residence, you can see exhibitions about the daily life of Pool residents between the 15th and 19th centuries.
