Harbour Office

The Harbour Office in Poole is a building constructed in 1822, designed in a mid-Georgian style. It features a stucco exterior with limestone dressings and a slate roof, arranged in a single-depth plan over two storeys with a four-window range. The ground floor has a stone-flagged open arcade supported by four Tuscan columns, which leads to an entablature and cornice that supports the upper storey. The upper storey is adorned with a modillion cornice that returns at the ends and a parapet. The left-hand side has a doorway and blind ground-floor windows fitted with painted 8/8-pane sash windows, while the first floor has 6/6-pane sash windows. A central sundial on the first floor is inscribed with "S.WESTON ESQ. MAYOR 1814." The right-hand return gable features a central doorway flanked by pilasters and a pediment, with a three-window range that has a central sash and blind windows on either side. Above this is a stone plaque with an architrave that contains a painted half figure inscribed "BENHAMIN SKUTT, MAYOR/AN 1727/JN AUBREY FECIT." Inside, there is a single first-floor room that was restored in the mid-20th century. Historically, the original building was constructed in 1727, and the plaque and sundial were reused from it. The parapet was previously raised in the centre with a wide panel. This building is a notable example of a harbour office, reflecting its original historic context and built during the peak of Poole's trading prosperity.