Place:Branksome, Dorset, England

the following text is based on an article in Wikipedia

Branksome is now a suburb of Poole in Dorset, England. The area consists of mainly residential properties but also has a small commercial area. It borders Parkstone, another small Poole suburb; to the west and north, Branksome Park (a more affluent forested area) to the south; and Westbourne (a suburb of Bournemouth, Poole's conurbation neighbour) to the east. From 1894 until 1905 Branksome had its own council, the Branksome Urban District Council.

Until the late 19th century the area was mainly unbuilt heath and woodlands. With the development and growth of nearby Bournemouth and later Poole the area became popular as a place to live, mainly because the area was relatively undeveloped but yet within commuting distance of Poole and Bournemouth. With the development of the railways, Branksome continued to grow, served by the new Victorian line between Wimborne, Poole and Bournemouth. Branksome railway station which still serves the area today helped encourage a massive growth in the early 20th century. Most of the houses in Branksome today are from the Edwardian period and before the Second World War. The area became an official suburb of Poole in the 1960s and by the 1980s almost all open areas of Branksome were built upon. The area however still has some heathland towards the Wallisdown and Canford Heath areas.

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