Summary
The remains of wool scales. Erected probably before 1822 on the site of an earlier structure; much restored in 1947 and in 2019.
Reasons for Designation
The Town Beam, the remains of wool scales, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
History
During the medieval and post-medieval periods wool was one of England’s most important exports, though only certain ports were allowed to export it. From the C13 Poole rapidly grew to be a thriving commercial port, and its significance was recognised when a charter of Henry VI made it a Port of Staple. As such, it became one of the coastal towns licensed to import and export the commodities of the staple, principally wool, wool-felts and leather, and to exact duties on behalf of the crown. The Town Beam stands in front of the Custom House (Grade II*), a building that replaced an earlier custom house which burnt down in 1813. It has been described as medieval (Pevsner, 2018, see Sources), while another source (Smith, 1948) considers that it is C18. It is depicted in its current location in an illustration of around 1822. Nearby is the late-C13/early-C14 former warehouse (Grade I), known as the Woolhouse or Town Cellars (Grade I) that previously stored goods prior to export. The Town Beam was formerly used to publicly weigh and measure goods coming through the port, with merchants paying a beamage, the fee for weighing goods. A plaque attached to it records that it stands on the site of much earlier scales and quotes from the Corporation Records of 1579 which refers to the ‘Towne Beame’. It was restored in 1947 and in 2019 after it was damaged in a storm.
Details
The remains of wool scales. Erected probably before 1822 on the site of an earlier structure; much restored in 1947 and in 2019.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
412633
Legacy System:
LBS
End of official list entry
