10/09/2026
🏨 DEMOLISH OR RESTORE? THE FUTURE OF SANDBANKS' HAVEN HOTEL
For well over a century it has stood right at the tip of Sandbanks, guarding the entrance to Poole Harbour. It is where Guglielmo Marconi carried out some of his earliest wireless experiments, back in 1898. Now the Haven Hotel could be knocked down.
Owners FJB Hotels say the building has reached the end of its life, after a century of salt air and south-westerly gales, and want to replace it with a new, more efficient 85-bedroom hotel on the same spot.
Not everyone is convinced. Some residents worry a much-loved landmark could vanish, leaving a gap where all that history used to be.
📌 Demolition is only proposed. No permission has been granted yet.
💬 So what would you like to see? Restore the old Haven, or make way for something new? Have you stayed there, celebrated there, or worked there over the years? Share your memories below 👇
