Alfred the Great routed the Danish fleet on the bay in 877 and many of the Danish ships were wrecked on Peveril Point, just beyond the modern pier. Although Alfred was king of the Saxon kingdom of Wessex (of which Swanage was part), the Battle of Swanage is regarded by many as the first british naval victory. The battle is commemorated by a curious monument on the sea-front consisting of a column topped by cannon balls.

Later the town became a center for the quarrying and shipping of the local Purbeck 'marble' from the hills immediately to the south and west of the town. These quarries, known as the Tilly Whim Caves are a favourite haunt of modern visitors (see also: nearby Winspit and Worth Matravers).

The arrival of the railways in the latter part of the 19th century paved the way for Swanage to become a seaside resort. Railways

The Railway
The arrival of the railways in the latter part of the 19th century paved the way for Swanage to become a seaside resort.

Nearly every important market town in Dorset with the exception of Shaftesbury was connected to the railway system by 1862. Like Lyme Regis (served from Axminster) however, Swanage was still served by horse-drawn vehicles from the station at Wareham. The route from Wareham to Swanage was opened in 1881.

The china clay which was quarried on the heathlands between Wareham and Corfe Castle was carried inland by rail.

Furzebrook siding was the last clay siding in Dorset to remain open. It was later developed as a terminal to service thw Wych Farm oil field and, although the Swanage branch line was closed to passengers in 1972, this northern section remained open for the clay, gas and oil traffic.

Norden became the northern terminal of the preserved Swanage Railway and, as well as carrying tourist traffic on its steam trains, offers park & ride facitlites to visitors to Corfe Castle and Swanage (the track to Swanage was taken up shortly after closer but was restored by the Swanage Railway).

see also:   History of Railways in Dorset