The old Victorian vicarage on Brownsea Island in the middle of Poole Harbour in Dorset, has been given a new lease of life as a holiday let, offering visitors the chance to experience the nature reserve long after the last boat has departed.
Dorset Wildlife Trust which runs part of the island, has restored part of the grand 1850s building, now called The Villa, to create a three bedroom apartment on the first floor.
The master bedroom mixes Victorian inspired furnishings with modern features
Renovated and restored
The new accommodation is part of a £1.25 million major programme of improvements, which was funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund alongside donations and support from the wildlife charity’s supporters.
While the imposing house with its Gothic revival architecture was originally built for the island’s vicar, it was never actually used by him as the upkeep costs were too expensive for his pocket.
Having slowly deteriorated and developed dry rot over the decades, the vicarage has now been extensively renovated and restored.
It was made possible due to the grant funding which also included construction of a bird lookout at the entrance to the island, boardwalks through the wet meadows and bird hides to take visitors out into nature.
Dorset Wildlife Trust head of development Marc Kativu-Smith outside The Villa, now restored to its former glory
Exclusive access to the island
The Villa can now sleep up to six people and combines modern additions with the historic character of a building which has stood at the heart of Brownsea Island for more than 170 years.
Guests will have exclusive access to the island outside normal public opening hours, allowing them to experience its wildlife and landscapes at times when the majority of visitors have gone home.
Brownsea is famous for its population of rare red squirrels and birdlife including white tailed eagles and ospreys along with rare winter visitors like guillemot, cattle egrets, black redstart and Eurasian spoonbills.
The first pay to stay guests will arrive on Brownsea on Friday 25th September 2026, with dates for the rest of autumn and winter now released on the Holiday Cottages website, from £859 for up to six people staying for a week.
The view over Dorset Wildlife Trust’s lagoon, a haven for birds in all seasons
“Red squirrels in the wood”
Dorset Wildlife Trust head of development Marc Kativu-Smith said:
“A stay on Brownsea offers something truly special, a rare opportunity to experience the island in a very different way.
“Our guests who stay out of season will not only have Brownsea pretty much to themselves, as the island is closed to the public from November until mid March, but they will also get the chance to see all the wintering birds, which is a huge attraction.
“The idea of holiday accommodation is that it provides important income for us to look after the rest of the island, manage the nature reserve, protect the wildlife, and run the volunteer teams, making Brownsea sustainable for the future.
“Guests will have all the history of a stunning Victorian property, and will also have nature all around, surrounded by trees, red squirrels in the woods, and so many different species of birds.”
The Villa’s bathroom is modern Victorian splendour, with amazing views into the tree canopy
“Reverberating with excitement”
Marc Kativu-Smith said:
“A carpet fitter who told me that he didn’t really like wildlife, slept here while he was working on the villa.
“I came in one morning to find him reverberating with excitement – he had been up since 6 am, standing by the window and had seen a deer come to the edge of the woods, red squirrels, ducklings, and about 20 different species of birds!
“There are so many different habitats on the island – coastal wetland, meadow, woodland, all of which attract different kinds of wildlife. If you like wildlife, Brownsea is the place to be, it was voted the UK’s favourite nature reserve a few years back.”
Arrival and departure from the island is by boat, and with no shopping on Brownsea, all provisions have to be brought in
Period style furniture and a near deserted island to enjoy make The Villa a unique place to holiday
High speed internet via satellite
Restoration of the vicarage has been a major undertaking, with large areas of dry rot discovered running through walls and floors, but skilled workmen have retained the building’s Gothic revival features, including its original staircase, wooden doors, architraves and other historic details.
The apartment has been sympathetically modernised with three spacious bedrooms, large living and dining rooms, fully equipped kitchen, walk in shower and rolltop bath, including an air source heat pump and high-speed internet via Starlink satellites.
Visitor reception at The Villa has also been recently upgraded as part of the project
Renovations under way in the same room in March 2025
Plans for bunkhouse to be added
Dorset luxury paint company Farrow and Ball, which focuses on restoring heritage properties with historically sympathetic colours, provided the paint and colour scheme expertise, while furniture was chosen with Victorian aesthetics, but modern day comfort.
Elsewhere at the vicarage, the visitor centre has been renovated to include a hands-on nature lab where visitors can use binoculars, microscopes and a sound station, and find out more about wildlife on the island.
A bunkhouse is to be added on the ground floor of the villa with more basic accommodation for up to 12 people, which will be offered to community groups at a lower price to help make Brownsea more accessible for all.
A hands-on nature lab is now full of ideas for visitors to try out for themselves
“Managed for the public to enjoy”
Marc Kativu-Smith said:
“Historically, Brownsea was managed for conservation, whereas now it is also managed for the public to enjoy.
“Over the last five years we have been changing, so that Brownsea is more accessible for the public.
“We have reinvested in the visitor centre, put out more displays, installed boardwalks so that more of the island can be explored, and improved our hides so that visitors can get right into the heart of the reserve.
“Our tern hide gets visitors the closest to nesting sandwich terns anywhere in the UK, you can walk well out into the lagoon without being seen by the birds or disturbing them.”
Senior Ranger James Anderson-Barr and volunteer Anne show how to display video feed from the lagoon in one of the trust’s hides
The view from The Lookout across the lagoon is spectacular
The exterior of The Lookout, an impressive hide and visitor centre built with National Lottery funds
Boardwalks through wet meadows were part of the £1.25 million Wild Brownsea Project part funded by the National Lottery
Volunteers on Brownsea play a huge role in helping rangers manage the habitat
Brownsea Castle, owned by the National Trust and leased by the John Lewis Group, is at the entrance to the island
There are different wildlife habitats around every corner, making Brownsea a delight to explore
Red squirrels are a common sight on Brownsea and will frequently come up to the Villa’s garden
Further information
- More about the work of Dorset Wildlife Trust
- Check out The Villa accommodation on the Holiday Cottages website
