Boldre

Boldre - Hampshire

Boldre in the south west of the New Forest is much older than its similarly named cousin of East Boldre which started life as a squatter’s village much later.

Boldre is without fear of contradiction one of the most idyllic villages in the forest split by a small stream that runs through the centre of the forest. The housing in the area is of a good size and Boldre is now home to some very affluent residents indeed.

Boldre is the epitome of the village vision with many of the cottages (some of which are listed) clustered around a triangular shaped village green

A favoured area for local smugglers in the 1600 century due to its close proximity to the river (there are even said to be accounts of ghosts in some of the village houses) Boldre later became home to a great English gentlemen called William Gilpin.

William, originally from Cumbria was a renowned educationist of the age and moved to the parish in 1777 to take up the post of Vicar of Boldre.

He become a great advocate of the forest and its flora and fauna and wrote many travel manuscripts with illustrations of forest scenery which were circulated amongst the likes of King George the III and the Poet William Mason.

In addition to its listed buildings the Village boasts an excellent traditional stone built church which is well worth a visit just to capture its architecture for your photo album.

The town of Lymington is only a short drive way and if the fancy takes you can even catch a ferry to The Isle of Wight from here.

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