Swanage buildings [5]

Image: © Michael Dibb Taken: 12 Dec 2020

Numbers 11 to 17 High Street are a terrace of shops with accommodation above. Built in 1835 there are fine cast iron balconies. Numbers 11 and 17 have had their rendering stripped to reveal walls of Purbeck stone with brick dressings. Seen here is Jurassic Outdoor, numbers 11A & 13, This was the home of John Mowlem - later the Queen's Restaurant. The shop front is 19th century. Above the roof is a projecting battlemented tower, formerly John Mowlem's observatory. The White Horse, number 11 Image, Lai Ho Restaurant, number 15 Image, and Quarr Gallery, number 17 Image are the other businesses in the terrace. Listed, grade II, with details at: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1119900 Swanage is a coastal town in the Isle of Purbeck, some 6 miles south of Poole and 25 miles east of Dorchester. Originally a small port and fishing village the town flourished in the Victorian era after the arrival of the railway and it first became a significant quarrying port and later a seaside resort. Tourism is an important part of the economy albeit seasonal and residents commute to Poole and Bournemouth for permanent employment. The town is the terminus of the heritage Swanage Railway.

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