The Black House, a local landmark, stands at the end of the spit, opposite Mudeford Quay and the entrance to Christchurch harbour. It is the site of the Battle of Mudeford in 1784. Built in 1848, it was once a boat-builders' house, but is now rented out to holidaymakers.
Some suggest that the Black House – the only brick building on a spit occupied mostly by wooden structures – was constructed around this time. During the 1700s a new tax on the import of luxury goods led to an explosion in smuggling on the south coast.

The Black House became a hideout for smugglers, who secreted their illicit goods around the headland. One apocryphal story states that the building acquired its dark colouration when customs men set fires around it to drive bootleggers out.

But the story is unlikely to be true – historic documents indicate that the present building was in fact built during the 19th century by one George Holloway, who built it within a year and recorded his intention to repaint it “in good oil colour” at least every four years.

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Elevation 50 m

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Friday 21 November

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Location: Dorset, South West England, England, United Kingdom

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