The Villages of the New Forest

Winchester is the administrative capital of the countyEnglish, meaning 'broken wooded hill'. The village has a
of Hampshire. It is without doubt one of the mostmainline railway station and it is possible to catch a
beautiful towns in all of England. However, if you tiretrain from London - and Winchester - to the village.
of town life, you could take a short drive to the NewThe local parish church is called St Nicholas's and has a
Forest and visit some of the most beautiful villagesfine Norman doorway in the south porch. Beside the
England has to offer.The New Forest was set asidechurch the visitor may be surprised to find the 'New
as a Royal hunting ground at around 1079 by WilliamZealand war cemetery'. Neat rows of tombstones
the Conqueror. It is now the biggest area of largelycommemorate over one hundred soldiers who died in
unspoilt countryside in the lowlands of southern Britaina nearby hospital during World War I. The village also
and one of the few medieval forests remaining inhas many fine old pubs and it is not unusual to see
Europe. Against all the odds, an ancient landscape offorest ponies meandering down the villages roads.
majestic woodlands, gorse-covered heathland andThe village is also the starting point of the New
boggy valleys has survived into the twenty-firstForest Cycle Experience.As the name suggests,
century. But the forest is not a desolate place. PeopleFordingbridge gets its name from the fact that the
have been living in the forest well before its creationvillage has a bridge that spans a river, the river Avon.
as a Royal hunting ground. Indeed, the originalIn fact, the most photographed aspect of the town
inhabitants were allowed to remain in the forest.is the ancient seven-arch Great Bridge, best seen
Today, the Forest is home to a collection of some offrom the recreation ground. Just outside the village
the most quintessential of English villages; quaintyou can visit the Rockbourne Roman Villa. Excavated
Norman churches, small, cosy pubs, greens and idyllicin the 1950s by a local enthusiast, A T Morley-Hewitt;
thatched cottages.Although a village, Lyndhurst hasover fifty rooms were discovered. The museum
always been considered the 'capital of the Newdisplays some of the artefacts found in the digs and
Forest'. It is in this village that you can find the Newshows many aspects of life in a Romano-British villa
Forest Museum. It tells the story of the New Forestof the second to fourth centuries. The village of
through a seventeen minute audio-visual show and aRockbourne is considered by many to be one of
series of well-arranged displays and dioramas. VisitingHampshire's prettiest villages. Thatched cottages line
the museum is recommended as the first stop forboth sides of the village street, with a clear chalk
the visitor, in order to gain an oversight of thestream running along one side.Beaulieu is one of the
history of the Forest and what it has to offer. Themost visited villages in the New Forest. The village is
village church, St Michael and All Angels, is a modernextremely picturesque, with thatched cottages and
building, built in the 1860s. The fine east windowthe scenic backdrop of the tidal estuary of the
contains a superb stained glass window, designed byBeaulieu River. It is not unusual to see a group of
Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris. Near thedonkeys walking down the main street, where
parish church is Queen's House - always known asseveral of the Georgian red-brick cottages are
King's House when a king is on the throne. This wastastefully adapted as souvenir shops or tea-rooms.
formerly the residence of the Lord Warden of theThe Palace House and its grounds form one of the
Forest, but now houses the offices of the Forestrymost popular sites in the south of England. A single
Commission. Lyndhurst has two cricket pitches. Nearentrance fee covers not only the House but also the
the Beaulieu road, Bolton's Bench cricket pitch has aremains of Beaulieu Abbey and the National Motor
thatched pavilion. It is overlooked by Bolton's Bench,Museum. If Beautiful cars of the past are your thing,
a hillock crowned with a distinctive yew, with seatsthen the Motor Museum is a must see.There are
beneath. The other pitch is called Swan Green andmany more pretty, smaller villages in the New Forest.
gets its name from the Swan Inn which overlooks it.Each has its own charms and is worth exploring. Once
This green is considered to be one of the mosta visitor enters the Forest he or she is hard pressed
picturesque village scenes in Hampshire.Lyndhurst mayto leave. Its gentle, beguiling beauty has been
be the 'capital' but Brokenhurst is the largest of theappreciated by visitors for hundreds of years.
New Forest villages. The name comes from old