Mudeford Spit
| Mudeford | |
|---|---|
 Mudeford
|
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| Mudeford shown within Dorset | |
| Population | 4,977 (2011. Mudeford and Friars Cliffe Ward) |
| OS grid reference | SZ178914 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CHRISTCHURCH |
| Postcode district | BH23 |
| Dialling code | 01202 or 01425 |
| Police | Dorset |
| Fire | Dorset and Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | |
Mudeford /ˈmʌdᵻfərd/ was originally a small fishing village in the borough of Christchurch, Dorset southern England, lying at the entrance to Christchurch Harbour. The River Mude (which starts from Poors Common in Bransgore, Hampshire) and Bure Brook (which starts from Nea Meadows in Highcliffe, Dorset) flow into the harbour there. In recent times the boundaries of Mudeford have expanded and include modern housing. Approximately 4000 people now live in the area giving a population density of roughly 24 persons per hectare.
Mudeford includes two woodland areas (known as Mudeford Woods and Peregrine Woods), a recreation ground on the north side of Stanpit (used to play cricket since the 19th century, probably as far back as the 1860s) and All Saints Church (built in 1869 as a gift by Mortimer Ricardo, who lived at Bure Homage House).
The village is home to both Mudeford Infants School and Mudeford Junior School.
Mudeford Quay was constructed in the late 1940s. Prior to this, The Haven, as it was then known was surrounded by sloping beaches. The Run then was much wider than it is now and the area was subject to terrible erosion. So much so that Christchurch Council purchased the whole area in 1945. Five years later the area had been raised and reinforced with steel piles and concrete.
Today the quay which consists of The Haven Inn public house, a number of ex-fishermans' cottages and a large car park is still used by local fishing boats as well as being a base for many water sports. A RNLI inshore lifeboat station is located on the quay.
In 1809, a troopship carrying 100 soldiers returning from the Peninsular War, sank in Christchurch Bay. The whole complement was saved by fishermen from the village. A specially built lifeboat was stationed at Mudeford from 1802, privately owned and manned by the local fisherman. It was subsumed by the RNLI in 1962 and in June 1963 a new inflatable boat was delivered. Between 1963 and 1995, the Mudeford Lifeboat was launched 766 times and rescued 308 people.
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Wikipedia