Swanage, Victorian seaside town in Dorset, England
Swanage is a coastal town in Dorset, England, that spreads along a crescent bay with several beaches, at the eastern tip of the Isle of Purbeck. The place has a small pier, a seafront promenade with metal seating, and rows of 19th-century houses climbing the hillside.
The settlement was mentioned in the year 877 in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle when a Danish fleet of 120 ships perished in a storm off the coast. The place changed from a small fishing village to a seaside resort in the 19th century as the railway line brought visitors from London.
The name comes from the Old English Swanawic, meaning swine bay, after the wild animals that once roamed the surrounding forests. Today the place is known as a family holiday destination where children play on the shallow beach and buy ice cream from the huts along the promenade.
The best time to visit is between May and September when the weather is milder and most shops and cafes along the beach are open. Access to the beach is possible via several ramps, though some areas are harder to reach during high tide.
Some of the street lamps and decorative facades come from demolished London buildings that were transported here in the 19th century. The railway line now ends at a station that looks like a smaller copy of London railway station architecture.
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