You might imagine Swanage as your typical British seaside town – charming, a little kitschy, full of fish and chips and fairground sounds. That’s what I expected when I arrived. And there is plenty of this.
But Swanage surprised me. It has far more to offer architecture and history lovers than just beach huts and sandcastles, and makes an excellent weekend break from London. In this blog, I explore Swanage’s distinctive – and sometimes bizarre – architectural heritage.
The building blocks – Purbeck Stone
Swanage is located on a peninsula along the Jurassic Coast, called the Isle of Purbeck. Around the island, you’ll notice that many buildings have a similar feel – a dark grey stone. This is the local limestone, Purbeck Stone, which has been used as a building material in the area for centuries.
The use of this stone in most of Swanage’s main buildings give the town a lovely, harmonious feel.
For a time, Purbeck Stone was also fashionable across the rest of the UK. You’ll find it used in parts of iconic landmarks such as Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral and the Tower of London.
Swanage – London by the sea
When you think of cities with links to London, Swanage likely isn’t high up the list. But the seaside town is sometimes called ‘London by the sea’, because of some pretty interesting upcycling.
Across the town you’ll find elements taken from old London, including street bollards with the City of London logo, an archway once at the corner of Hyde Park, and a clock tower originally on London Bridge.
With Purbeck Stone lining buildings along the Thames, and old street furniture making its way to Swanage, this Purbeck-London connection went both ways. For specific spots to find old bits of London in Swanage, head to the section ‘Architecture highlights of Swanage’.
But first, why are there so many random bits of London in Swanage? Because of one man: George Burt.
The man who shaped Swanage
George Burt isn’t a particularly well-known name. But in Swanage, his impact was huge. A local businessman, he made his name in London, winning several major public-works contracts for his company.
But he never forgot his hometown. He developed new buildings in Swanage, including his own large house, now the iconic Purbeck House Hotel. And through his work redeveloping prestigious buildings across London, he was always looking out for architectural elements he could scavenge for his hometown – as we shall see.
So associated with the town was George Burt, he was sometimes known as the King of Swanage. Let’s turn to the key buildings and landmarks in Swanage to look out for. His name will come up again and again.
Architecture highlights of Swanage
Swanage Town Hall
One of the most impressive buildings along Swanage’s High Street is its town hall, which mostly dates from the 19th century. The façade, however, is even older: it was originally the porch of the Mercers Hall in London. It was designed by Edward Jermen, a student of Sir Christopher Wren (whose name is on the façade – possibly an error).
When the Mercers Hall was being renovated by George Burt, he rescued the Porch and rebuilt it by the seaside. The clock, too, was brought from London, though this was likely made in the 19th century.
It’s a handsome building, relatively in keeping with the local area, albeit a little grander than most other buildings in Swanage. Not everyone agreed, though. In a 1930 architectural journal, it was said: “if ever a book comes to be written on ‘How to murder Architecture’, the Swanage Town Hall should find a place therein”.
Purbeck House Hotel
Just along from the Town Hall, your eyes will almost certainly be drawn to this towering, castle-like building. Completed in 1875, this was George Burt’s private home – a huge victorian mansion, built in the Scottish Baronial style, seemingly inspired by Balmoral.
If you are fortunate enough to stay in the hotel, you’ll find plenty of oddities that Burt rescued from building projects in London – including tiles from the Houses of Parliament close to the tennis lawn, pillars from Billingsgate Market, and statues from the Royal Exchange.
Best of all is in the garden, an arch which Burt had worked on early in his career and which stood on Hyde Park Corner for 40 years. Visit hotel website.
Swanage Old Gaol
Behind the Town Hall is Swanage’s historic jail, built in 1803 (one of the few entries on this list not involving George Burt!). It was build to deal with anti-social behaviour during the Napoleonic Wars.
You can look through a dirty pane of glass to see the old wooden door, and the cramped cell. With no windows, and just a few feet wide and across, it gave me the chills thinking about being imprisoned there.
The Wellington Clock Tower
One of the most prominent pieces of London brought to Swanage by George Burt is the Wellington Clock Tower. It was originally built as a memorial to the Duke of Wellington, placed on London Bridge.
But after just a few years, it became an obstruction to traffic and demolished. George Burt rescued the tower, relocating it by the sea, where it still stands – one of the tallest buildings along Swanage’s seafront. Sadly, when I visited it was covered in scaffolding!
Old Victorian Pier
Swanage’s Victorian pier is more than 100 years old, but it was actually the second pier to be built in the town. It was developed after George Burt started putting on passenger boat services to nearby towns. Over time, the older pier declined, and only the more modern one remained. Its conservation is managed by the Swanage Pier Trust.
Swanage’s medieval church
Most of Swanage’s oldest church actually comes from the 19th and early 20th century, when the entire building was rebuilt. Only the tower comes from earlier, surviving from medieval times and reflecting the church’s ancient history. Made out of Purbeck Stone, it’s an imposing building, built in the gothic style.
St Mary’s was once the end point of the Priest’s Way – a historic route through the Purbeck countryside, which priests used in the Middle Ages to walk from the village of Worth Matravers to say mass in Swanage. Nowadays it forms part of the South West Coastal Path!
The Old Water Tower
Towards the edge of town is Swanage’s old water tower, an impressive 45ft tall building built by George Burt to supply the city with water in the 1880s. It was used by the military during World War Two as a machine gun post, and has since been developed into housing.
The columns & obelisk
Just along from the pier in Prince Albert Gardens is another London oddity: two large columns, looking like something from ancient Greece. Indeed, the area in front of the columns is used as an Ampitheatre, for outdoors productions.
They actually date from the 19th century, and were once part of the Grosvener Hotel and brought over from London by George Burt. Just along from this is a large obelisk, the memorial to Prince Albert, erected in 1861.
Swanage Train Station
Because of the popularity of Purbeck stone and marble, railway companies were keen to develop a line to the area. Eventually, in 1885, Swanage got its own train station. As the town became a popular tourist resort, it only became busier and busier.
Nowadays it’s mostly a tourist site, with steam trains running to Wareham (via Corfe Castle). But it’s a lovely building, built in the same Purbeck stone that was shipped out along its tracks!
Durlston Castle & country park
You have to walk a little while along the coast for this one, but it’s worth it. Arguably, it’s George Burt’s magnum opus. He and his uncle John Mowlem wanted to give something back to Swanage, and so they developed Durlston Estate as a tourist attraction.
Designed by an architect from nearby Weymouth (G.R. Crickmay), made entirely with local stone, it was built as a ‘folly’ – in the style of a much older castle. It’s found in the huge Durlston Country Park, which is a delight to walk through, with a coastal path as well as woodlands, and plenty of wildlife to look out for.
Around the park are plenty more oddities, placed by George Burt, including a number of former London bollards. Most interesting is the Great Globe – one of the largest stone globes in the world, Grade II listed, weighing 40 tonnes and depicting the world as it was seen in Victorian times.
Visit Durlston’s website here.
This article is now featured on GPSmyCity. To download this article for offline reading or travel directions to the attractions highlighted in this article, go to Walking Tours and Articles in Swanage on GPSmyCity.
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