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Beaulieu Abbey
Beaulieu Abbey and Beaulieu Palace House
Beaulieu Abbey and Beaulieu Palace House are part of the Montagu estate as is the village as well, and the whole area is steeped in history going back centuries before.
Beaulieu village itself is a truly typical quaint English village in the New Forest National Park, which snuggles alongside the Beaulieu River and is close to the outstandingly beautiful Exbury gardens which is only a short drive away.
Beaulieu Abbey
Beaulieu Abbey was originally built in the early 1200's and was populated by French monks during its early years which was quite unusual at the time. The Abbey was held in high favour by the Royal household for many successive reigns and was given great financial assistance in the form of land , money and goods but all good things came to an end and in the reign of Henry VIII Beaulieu Abbey narrowly escaped being seized by the crown.
A few years later however the monastery was eventually dissolved and was subsequently demolished by Thomas Wriothesley who was granted the Beaulieu lands and abbey after the dissolution by King Henry.
Beaulieu Palace House
At the time Wriothesley took an unusual step and rather than converting the remains of the monastery into he country home, he used the great gatehouse as the foundation his new home which later became known as Beaulieu Palace House.
The house was further extended a number of times in later history, in the 16th and 19th century and today stands as an outstanding example of gothic architecture that if a little grander would not seem out of place in a Dracula movie set in Transylvania.
Beaulieu Palace House remains the ancestral home of a branch of the Wriothesley family to this day, The Montagu’s. The Montagu estate is huge and covers around 9000 acres and is also home to Bucklers Hard and the world famous Beaulieu Motor Museum which you simply must visit to get a taste of automotive history.
Lepe Country Park, the Calshot Activity Centre and the simply stunning Exbury Gardens are also only a short drive away if you are visitng the area.
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