Poole: Paradise Street and the old Custom House

The inclination of the two street lamps in view mimics that of many a drunken sailor.

Poole's busy docks and attendant warehouses and public houses at the quay were until a few decades ago an insalubrious part of the town: the ironically named Paradise Street comprised part of the red light area.

The handsome old Custom House, with a pair of curved flights of steps up to its entrance, was built in 1788 but had to be reconstructed in 1813 after a fire.