Merley

Oakley shops at Merley

Merley is a large housing estate in the borough of Poole, a mile (2 km) south of Wimborne Minster. Originally called Myrle, Merley was a manor in the tithing of Great Canford (or Canford Magna). The housing estate was originally going to be called "Oakley Garden Village", note Oakley Shops and other signposts around the community but the name was changed. The housing estate only covers part of the area that was originally called Merley/Myrle.

Statistics

Merley is part of the greater ward called "Merley and Bearwood" and here are some statistics on this area:

People

• 10634 people live in Merley and Bearwood.
• There are about 4078 dwellings in the ward
• There are 2228 people over the age of 60 living in this ward
• 52.54% of people over the age of 16 are currently married.

Housing

• 88.99% of residents either own their homes outright or with a mortgage.
• 5.27% of residents live in council or housing association homes.
• 4.27% of residents live in privately rented homes.

Environment

• The population density of Merley and Bearwood is approximately 1673 people per square mile (646/km²).
• The actual size of the ward is 6.4 square miles (17 km²).

Employment

• The biggest industry in this area (with 16.62% of people) are the wholesale and retail trade motor mechanic industries.
• The biggest male industry in this area (with 21.86% of males) is the manufacturing industry.
• The biggest females industry in this area (with 21.84% of females) is the health and social work industry.

Source: First release of the 2001 Census data, released in September 2002.

History

The 1970s housing estate surrounding Sopwith Crescent was built over a period of several years from the Oakley Straight end on former farmland. It was originally called Oakley Garden Village by the developers, but soon became incorporated into the adjacent older village.

Landmarks (amenities)

• Lantern Church
• Oakley Shopping Center with butchers, a Nisa Shop, a Pharmacy and a Chinese takeaway
• Merley First School
• Merley Community Center
• The public house The Willet Arms
• Park [x2]
• Fenners Field
• The privately run Canford School is located nearby
• Down in the Woods - Playground
• The Youth club in Down in the Woods got demolished in 2010
• The Pulse Christian Youth Club

External links

• Map sources for Merley

Coordinates: 50°47′03″N 1°58′13″W / 50.78427°N 1.97016°W / 50.78427; -1.97016