Lyndhurst, Hampshire
Encyclopedia
Lyndhurst is a village and civil parish
in the New Forest
, Hampshire
, England
. It is a popular tourist location with many independent shops, art galleries, cafés, restaurants, pubs and hotels. The nearest city is Southampton
located around nine miles (14 km) to the north-east. In 2001 Lyndhurst had a population of 2,973 people.
The village is the administrative capital of the New Forest
, with the district council based in the village. The Court of Verderer
s sits in the Queens House in Lyndhurst. The church of St. Michael and All Angels is a major landmark. It was built in the 1860s, and contains a fresco
by Lord Leighton and stained-glass windows by Charles Kempe
, William Morris
, Edward Burne-Jones
and others. Alice Liddell
, the inspiration for Alice
in Lewis Carroll
's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
, is buried here.
of 1086 as Linhest. It was part of the royal lands of the New Forest
, with the exception of 1 virgate
which was held by Herbert the Forester. Herbert may have been the ancestor of the Lyndhurst family, beginning with Herbert Lyndhurst, who held the bailiwick
and manor
of Lyndhurst in the 12th and 13th centuries. The manor passed to the king
in 1270, and together with the wardenship of the New Forest, which invariably accompanied the manor, it formed part of the dowry
of four consecutive queens, Eleanor of Castile
, Margaret of France, Isabella of France
, and Philippa of Hainault
. The manor was back in the hands of the king before 1362, and it was granted to various noble families over the course of the following century. Between 1467 and 1581 it was in the hands of the Earls of Arundel, after which it once again reverted to the Crown. The estate was once again passed to various noble families until 1667, when Charles II
granted it to Charles Paulet, 1st Duke of Bolton
. He was followed successively by his son
and grandson
, but by the mid-18th-century it was back in royal hands, being held successively by Prince William Henry
(up to 1805) and Prince Frederick
(until 1827). Subsequently, the manor was deemed "not important to be kept", and the copyhold
s of the manor, which included estates in Minstead
, Burley
, Bartley and Poulner
, either became enfranchised or passed to the Crown.
A royal park was attached to the manor of Lyndhurst from a very early date. It was unusual for being a King's Park within a King's Forest. In 1299 it covered an area of 500 acre
s, the profits from the honey
gathered there amounting to 2 shilling
s per annum. It was actively worked during the 14th and 15th centuries when payments were made for the fencing and repairing of the palings. The "old Park" of Lyndhurst is where the Parkhill Hotel now stands, the new park being on the A337 Brockenhurst
road.
The village is the administrative capital of the New Forest
, with the district council based in the village. The Court of Verderer
s sits in the Queens House in Lyndhurst. The local headquarters of the Forestry Commission
, the body that handles the maintenance of the softwood
plantations, forest roads and paths, and controlling the spread of invasive plants, such as rhododendron
s and gorse
is based in Queen's House in the Village.
The church of St. Michael and All Angels is a major landmark, being built of many different colours of brick, on one of the highest points in the village. Other major landmarks include Bolton's Bench, a picturesque hill to the east of the village; and a row of much photographed thatched cottages on the road to the neighbouring hamlet
of Emery Down
. There is also a very fine, small Catholic Church of the Assumption and St Edward the Confessor, built by Sir Arthur Blomfield
between 1894 and 1896 as a memorial to Marie-Louise Souberbielle.
Lyndhurst is also home to the New Forest Centre, formerly the New Forest Museum. Also situated towards the outskirts of the village is Foxlease
, the headquarters and training and activity centre of Girlguiding UK
since 1922. It has been the scene of several internationally important Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting events. The headquarters of the privately owned British
chemicals company INEOS
is located in the village.
The civil parish
includes the hamlets
of Bank
and Emery Down
. Lyndhurst is surrounded by varied "forest" from the heathland of Parkhill to the bog of Matley, and the open forest with its ancient oak
and beech
to the enclosures of softwoods.
s' Hall, home of the ancient Verderers' Court. The Queen's House is also the local headquarters of the Forestry Commission
.
A manor house
probably existed in Lyndhurst at a very early date. In the reign of Edward I
an order was given for "twenty oaks to make lath
s for the use of the queen's manor-house at Lyndhurst." This house was probably superseded by the hunting lodge built at Lyndhurst in the 14th century, which received frequent royal visits, and for which there are many records relating to the repair and enlargement. In 1388 a hall was built within the lodge, known later as the Verderer's Hall. Rebuilding took place in the reign of Henry VIII
, and especially in the 17th century, during the reigns of Charles I
and Charles II
, and the current structure largely dates from this time. The building is a rambling two-story structure in brick. The prisoners' dock, tables and chairs of considerable age are preserved in the hall. Also to be found within is the so-called "Stirrup of Rufus
," which was used to measure dogs. Dogs which were too large to pass through the stirrup, were considered a danger to game
.
. It is constructed with red brick with yellow trim. It has a tall brick-banded spire at the north-west end. The interior has yellow, white and red exposed brickwork, and a nave roof decorated with life-size supporting angels. The church contains a fresco by Frederick Leighton showing the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins
, with biblical characters said to be modelled on local people. The church also contains stained-glass windows designed by William Morris
, Edward Burne-Jones
, and Charles Kempe.
Alice Liddell
, also known as Alice Hargreaves, the inspiration for Alice in Lewis Carroll
's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
, lived in and around Lyndhurst after her marriage to Reginald Hargreaves, and is buried in the graveyard.
, running east to west from Southampton
to Bournemouth
and the A337 running north to south from the M27
to Lymington
on the south coast. To deal with the large volume of traffic that is created by this link, a one-way system is used. This in effect turns the major roads of the village into a traffic circle
. During the summer months, the traffic through the village increases hugely because of the tourists who visit the area. This can create queues into the village from all directions. For many years it has been recognised that Lyndhurst needs a bypass
. As far back as 1947 the Government's Baker Report accepted the need for a bypass, and provision was made in the 1949 New Forest Act to construct roads through the forest with the consent of the Verderers. Public inquiries
were held in 1975 and 1983, at both of which the various routes proposed by the county council were opposed by the Verderers as being detrimental to the environment. The Verderers stated that they would not oppose a less harmful route. The last serious attempt at a Lyndhurst Bypass Bill was rejected in July 1988. Lyndhurst Parish Council continues to press for a bypass, and currently proposes that road follows the route suggested in 1983 but with a 400 metre cut-and-cover tunnel.
Although Lyndhurst itself does not have a central railway station, it had traditionally been served by Lyndhurst Road station, three miles away, but which has been renamed Ashurst New Forest. It is also only four miles (6 km) from Brockenhurst
- both stations are on the South Western Main Line
to London
and Weymouth. Bus service operated by Wilts & Dorset
run frequently to Southampton
and Lymington
, also several times each weekday to Ringwood
. There are also two daily National Express
coach departures to London Victoria
. The New Forest Tour
, an open-top bus tour run in the summer, starts and finishes in Lyndhurst.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the New Forest
New Forest
The New Forest is an area of southern England which includes the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in the heavily-populated south east of England. It covers south-west Hampshire and extends into south-east Wiltshire....
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is a popular tourist location with many independent shops, art galleries, cafés, restaurants, pubs and hotels. The nearest city is Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
located around nine miles (14 km) to the north-east. In 2001 Lyndhurst had a population of 2,973 people.
The village is the administrative capital of the New Forest
New Forest
The New Forest is an area of southern England which includes the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in the heavily-populated south east of England. It covers south-west Hampshire and extends into south-east Wiltshire....
, with the district council based in the village. The Court of Verderer
Verderer
Verderers are officials in Britain who deal with Common land in certain former royal hunting areas which are the property of The Crown.-Origins:...
s sits in the Queens House in Lyndhurst. The church of St. Michael and All Angels is a major landmark. It was built in the 1860s, and contains a fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
by Lord Leighton and stained-glass windows by Charles Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe was a well-known Victorian stained glass designer. After attending Twyford School, he studied for the priesthood at Pembroke College, Oxford, but it became clear that his severe stammer would be an impediment to preaching...
, William Morris
William Morris
William Morris 24 March 18343 October 1896 was an English textile designer, artist, writer, and socialist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English Arts and Crafts Movement...
, Edward Burne-Jones
Edward Burne-Jones
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet was a British artist and designer closely associated with the later phase of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, who worked closely with William Morris on a wide range of decorative arts as a founding partner in Morris, Marshall, Faulkner, and Company...
and others. Alice Liddell
Alice Liddell
Alice Pleasance Liddell , known for most of her adult life by her married name, Alice Hargreaves, inspired the children's classic Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, whose protagonist Alice is said to be named after her.-Biography:...
, the inspiration for Alice
Alice (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)
Alice is a fictional character in the literary classic, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel, Through the Looking-Glass, And What Alice Found There. She is a young girl from Victorian-era Britain.-Development:...
in Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...
's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is an 1865 novel written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. It tells of a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world populated by peculiar, anthropomorphic creatures...
, is buried here.
History
The name "Lyndhurst" is an Old English name, meaning 'Wooded hill growing with lime-trees'. The name comprises the words lind ('lime-tree') and hyrst ('wooded hill'). Lyndhurst is recorded in the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086 as Linhest. It was part of the royal lands of the New Forest
New Forest
The New Forest is an area of southern England which includes the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in the heavily-populated south east of England. It covers south-west Hampshire and extends into south-east Wiltshire....
, with the exception of 1 virgate
Virgate
The virgate or yardland was a unit of land area measurement used in medieval England, typically outside the Danelaw, and was held to be the amount of land that a team of two oxen could plough in a single annual season. It was equivalent to a quarter of a hide, so was nominally thirty acres...
which was held by Herbert the Forester. Herbert may have been the ancestor of the Lyndhurst family, beginning with Herbert Lyndhurst, who held the bailiwick
Bailiwick
A bailiwick is usually the area of jurisdiction of a bailiff, and may also apply to a territory in which the sheriff's functions were exercised by a privately appointed bailiff under a royal or imperial writ. The word is now more generally used in a metaphorical sense, to indicate a sphere of...
and manor
Manor
-Land tenure:*Manor, an estate in land of the mediaeval era in England*Manorialism, a system of land tenure and organization of the rural economy and society in parts of medieval Europe based on the manor*Manor house, the principal house of a manor...
of Lyndhurst in the 12th and 13th centuries. The manor passed to the king
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
in 1270, and together with the wardenship of the New Forest, which invariably accompanied the manor, it formed part of the dowry
Dowry
A dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings forth to the marriage. It contrasts with bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both...
of four consecutive queens, Eleanor of Castile
Eleanor of Castile
Eleanor of Castile was the first queen consort of Edward I of England. She was also Countess of Ponthieu in her own right from 1279 until her death in 1290, succeeding her mother and ruling together with her husband.-Birth:...
, Margaret of France, Isabella of France
Isabella of France
Isabella of France , sometimes described as the She-wolf of France, was Queen consort of England as the wife of Edward II of England. She was the youngest surviving child and only surviving daughter of Philip IV of France and Joan I of Navarre...
, and Philippa of Hainault
Philippa of Hainault
Philippa of Hainault, or, Philippe de Hainaut was the Queen consort of King Edward III of England. Edward, Duke of Guyenne, her future husband, promised in 1326 to marry her within the following two years...
. The manor was back in the hands of the king before 1362, and it was granted to various noble families over the course of the following century. Between 1467 and 1581 it was in the hands of the Earls of Arundel, after which it once again reverted to the Crown. The estate was once again passed to various noble families until 1667, when Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
granted it to Charles Paulet, 1st Duke of Bolton
Charles Paulet, 1st Duke of Bolton
Charles Paulet, 1st Duke of Bolton, PC , son of John Paulet, 5th Marquess of Winchester. He became the sixth Marquess of Winchester on his father's death in 1675, was Member of Parliament for Winchester and then for Hampshire from 1660 to 1675...
. He was followed successively by his son
Charles Paulet, 2nd Duke of Bolton
Charles Paulet, 2nd Duke of Bolton KG PC was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Member of Parliament for Hampshire and a supporter of William III of Orange....
and grandson
Charles Powlett, 3rd Duke of Bolton
Lieutenant-General Charles Powlett , 3rd Duke of Bolton KG PC was a British nobleman and politician....
, but by the mid-18th-century it was back in royal hands, being held successively by Prince William Henry
Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh
Prince William, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh was a member of the British Royal Family, a grandson of George II and a younger brother of George III.-Early life:...
(up to 1805) and Prince Frederick
Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany
The Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany was a member of the Hanoverian and British Royal Family, the second eldest child, and second son, of King George III...
(until 1827). Subsequently, the manor was deemed "not important to be kept", and the copyhold
Copyhold
At its origin in medieval England, copyhold tenure was tenure of land according to the custom of the manor, the "title deeds" being a copy of the record of the manorial court....
s of the manor, which included estates in Minstead
Minstead
Minstead is a small village and civil parish in the New Forest, Hampshire, about north of Lyndhurst. There is a shop and a pub, the Trusty Servant. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's grave is under a large tree at the back of the 13th century All Saints' church.-Overview:Minstead is a small village and...
, Burley
Burley, Hampshire
Burley is a village and civil parish in the New Forest, Hampshire, England, with a wealth of tea rooms, gift shops, art galleries and a pick-your-own farm.-The village:...
, Bartley and Poulner
Poulner
Poulner is a small village in the civil parish of Ringwood in the New Forest district, in Hampshire, England. It is east from the town centre of Ringwood.Poulner is recorded as Polenore in 1300, Polenoure in 1327, Pulnore in 1410, and Powner in 1682...
, either became enfranchised or passed to the Crown.
A royal park was attached to the manor of Lyndhurst from a very early date. It was unusual for being a King's Park within a King's Forest. In 1299 it covered an area of 500 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s, the profits from the honey
Honey
Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans...
gathered there amounting to 2 shilling
Shilling
The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
s per annum. It was actively worked during the 14th and 15th centuries when payments were made for the fencing and repairing of the palings. The "old Park" of Lyndhurst is where the Parkhill Hotel now stands, the new park being on the A337 Brockenhurst
Brockenhurst
Brockenhurst is a village situated in the New Forest, Hampshire, England. The New Forest is a national park and Brockenhurst is therefore surrounded by woodland that attracts thousands of visitors all year round. The nearby towns surrounding Brockenhurst are Lymington and Lyndhurst. Brockenhurst...
road.
The village
New Forest
The New Forest is an area of southern England which includes the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in the heavily-populated south east of England. It covers south-west Hampshire and extends into south-east Wiltshire....
, with the district council based in the village. The Court of Verderer
Verderer
Verderers are officials in Britain who deal with Common land in certain former royal hunting areas which are the property of The Crown.-Origins:...
s sits in the Queens House in Lyndhurst. The local headquarters of the Forestry Commission
Forestry Commission
The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in Great Britain. Its mission is to protect and expand Britain's forests and woodlands and increase their value to society and the environment....
, the body that handles the maintenance of the softwood
Softwood
The term softwood is used to describe wood from trees that are known as gymnosperms.Conifers are an example. It may also be used to describe trees, which tend to be evergreen, notable exceptions being bald cypress and the larches....
plantations, forest roads and paths, and controlling the spread of invasive plants, such as rhododendron
Rhododendron
Rhododendron is a genus of over 1 000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers...
s and gorse
Gorse
Gorse, furze, furse or whin is a genus of about 20 plant species of thorny evergreen shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae, native to western Europe and northwest Africa, with the majority of species in Iberia.Gorse is closely related to the brooms, and like them, has green...
is based in Queen's House in the Village.
The church of St. Michael and All Angels is a major landmark, being built of many different colours of brick, on one of the highest points in the village. Other major landmarks include Bolton's Bench, a picturesque hill to the east of the village; and a row of much photographed thatched cottages on the road to the neighbouring hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Emery Down
Emery Down
Emery Down is a small village in the New Forest National Park in Hampshire, England. Its nearest town is Lyndhurst, which lies approximately 1.4 miles south-east from the village.-Overview:...
. There is also a very fine, small Catholic Church of the Assumption and St Edward the Confessor, built by Sir Arthur Blomfield
Arthur Blomfield
Sir Arthur William Blomfield was an English architect.-Background:The fourth son of Charles James Blomfield, an Anglican Bishop of London helpfully began a programme of new church construction in the capital. Born in Fulham Palace, Arthur Blomfield was educated at Rugby and Trinity College,...
between 1894 and 1896 as a memorial to Marie-Louise Souberbielle.
Lyndhurst is also home to the New Forest Centre, formerly the New Forest Museum. Also situated towards the outskirts of the village is Foxlease
Foxlease
Foxlease is a training and activity centre of Girlguiding UK near Lyndhurst, Hampshire, UK. The Foxlease estate has been owned and managed by Girlguiding UK since 1922. The estate is and main house is known as The Princess Mary House, in honour of her marriage...
, the headquarters and training and activity centre of Girlguiding UK
Girlguiding UK
Girlguiding UK is the national Guiding organisation of the United Kingdom. Guiding began in the UK in 1910 after Robert Baden-Powell asked his sister Agnes to start a group especially for girls that would be run along similar lines to Scouting for Boys. The Guide Association was a founder member of...
since 1922. It has been the scene of several internationally important Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting events. The headquarters of the privately owned British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
chemicals company INEOS
Ineos
INEOS Group Limited is a privately owned multinational chemicals company headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland and with its registered office in Lyndhurst, United Kingdom...
is located in the village.
The civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
includes the hamlets
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Bank
Bank, Hampshire
Bank is a hamlet in the English county of Hampshire. The settlement is within the civil parish of Lyndhurst in the New Forest, and is located approximately from both Ringwood and Southampton. It has one inn and approximately 30 distinct dwellings.-Overview:...
and Emery Down
Emery Down
Emery Down is a small village in the New Forest National Park in Hampshire, England. Its nearest town is Lyndhurst, which lies approximately 1.4 miles south-east from the village.-Overview:...
. Lyndhurst is surrounded by varied "forest" from the heathland of Parkhill to the bog of Matley, and the open forest with its ancient oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
and beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
to the enclosures of softwoods.
The Queen's House
The most important building in Lyndhurst is the Queen's House, which has also in the past been called the King's House, for the name changes according to the gender of the monarch. It is the principal building owned by the Crown in the New Forest, and contains the VerdererVerderer
Verderers are officials in Britain who deal with Common land in certain former royal hunting areas which are the property of The Crown.-Origins:...
s' Hall, home of the ancient Verderers' Court. The Queen's House is also the local headquarters of the Forestry Commission
Forestry Commission
The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in Great Britain. Its mission is to protect and expand Britain's forests and woodlands and increase their value to society and the environment....
.
A manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
probably existed in Lyndhurst at a very early date. In the reign of Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
an order was given for "twenty oaks to make lath
Lath
A lath is a thin, narrow strip of some straight-grained wood or other material, including metal or gypsum. A lattice, or lattice-work, is a criss-crossed or interlaced arrangement of laths, or the pattern made by such an arrangement...
s for the use of the queen's manor-house at Lyndhurst." This house was probably superseded by the hunting lodge built at Lyndhurst in the 14th century, which received frequent royal visits, and for which there are many records relating to the repair and enlargement. In 1388 a hall was built within the lodge, known later as the Verderer's Hall. Rebuilding took place in the reign of Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
, and especially in the 17th century, during the reigns of Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
and Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
, and the current structure largely dates from this time. The building is a rambling two-story structure in brick. The prisoners' dock, tables and chairs of considerable age are preserved in the hall. Also to be found within is the so-called "Stirrup of Rufus
William II of England
William II , the third son of William I of England, was King of England from 1087 until 1100, with powers over Normandy, and influence in Scotland. He was less successful in extending control into Wales...
," which was used to measure dogs. Dogs which were too large to pass through the stirrup, were considered a danger to game
Game (food)
Game is any animal hunted for food or not normally domesticated. Game animals are also hunted for sport.The type and range of animals hunted for food varies in different parts of the world. This will be influenced by climate, animal diversity, local taste and locally accepted view about what can or...
.
St Michael and All Angels
The Church of St Michael and All Angels sits on a mound overlooking the village. It was built between 1858–70, and is the third such building on the site. The church was designed by William WhiteWilliam White (architect)
William White, F.S.A. was an English architect, famous for his part in 19th century Gothic Revival architecture and church restorations...
. It is constructed with red brick with yellow trim. It has a tall brick-banded spire at the north-west end. The interior has yellow, white and red exposed brickwork, and a nave roof decorated with life-size supporting angels. The church contains a fresco by Frederick Leighton showing the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins
Parable of the Ten Virgins
The Parable of the Ten Virgins, also known as the parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins, is one of the well known parables of Jesus. It appears in only one of the Canonical gospels of the New Testament...
, with biblical characters said to be modelled on local people. The church also contains stained-glass windows designed by William Morris
William Morris
William Morris 24 March 18343 October 1896 was an English textile designer, artist, writer, and socialist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English Arts and Crafts Movement...
, Edward Burne-Jones
Edward Burne-Jones
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet was a British artist and designer closely associated with the later phase of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, who worked closely with William Morris on a wide range of decorative arts as a founding partner in Morris, Marshall, Faulkner, and Company...
, and Charles Kempe.
Alice Liddell
Alice Liddell
Alice Pleasance Liddell , known for most of her adult life by her married name, Alice Hargreaves, inspired the children's classic Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, whose protagonist Alice is said to be named after her.-Biography:...
, also known as Alice Hargreaves, the inspiration for Alice in Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...
's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is an 1865 novel written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. It tells of a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world populated by peculiar, anthropomorphic creatures...
, lived in and around Lyndhurst after her marriage to Reginald Hargreaves, and is buried in the graveyard.
Transport links
The village itself is the meeting point of the A35A35 road
The A35 is a trunk road in southern England, running from Honiton in Devon, that then passes through Dorset and terminates in Southampton, Hampshire...
, running east to west from Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
to Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
and the A337 running north to south from the M27
M27 motorway
The M27 is a motorway in Hampshire, England. It is long and runs west-east from Cadnam to Portsmouth. It was opened in stages between 1975 and 1983. It is however unfinished as an extension to the east was planned...
to Lymington
Lymington
Lymington is a port on the west bank of the Lymington River on the Solent, in the New Forest district of Hampshire, England. It is to the east of the South East Dorset conurbation, and faces Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight which is connected to it by a car ferry, operated by Wightlink. The town...
on the south coast. To deal with the large volume of traffic that is created by this link, a one-way system is used. This in effect turns the major roads of the village into a traffic circle
Traffic circle
A traffic circle or rotary is a type of circular intersection in which traffic must travel in one direction around a central island. In some countries, traffic entering the circle has the right-of-way and drivers in the circle must yield. In many other countries, traffic entering the circle must...
. During the summer months, the traffic through the village increases hugely because of the tourists who visit the area. This can create queues into the village from all directions. For many years it has been recognised that Lyndhurst needs a bypass
Bypass (road)
A bypass is a road or highway that avoids or "bypasses" a built-up area, town, or village, to let through traffic flow without interference from local traffic, to reduce congestion in the built-up area, and to improve road safety....
. As far back as 1947 the Government's Baker Report accepted the need for a bypass, and provision was made in the 1949 New Forest Act to construct roads through the forest with the consent of the Verderers. Public inquiries
Public inquiry
A Tribunal of Inquiry is an official review of events or actions ordered by a government body in Common Law countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland or Canada. Such a public inquiry differs from a Royal Commission in that a public inquiry accepts evidence and conducts its hearings in a more...
were held in 1975 and 1983, at both of which the various routes proposed by the county council were opposed by the Verderers as being detrimental to the environment. The Verderers stated that they would not oppose a less harmful route. The last serious attempt at a Lyndhurst Bypass Bill was rejected in July 1988. Lyndhurst Parish Council continues to press for a bypass, and currently proposes that road follows the route suggested in 1983 but with a 400 metre cut-and-cover tunnel.
Although Lyndhurst itself does not have a central railway station, it had traditionally been served by Lyndhurst Road station, three miles away, but which has been renamed Ashurst New Forest. It is also only four miles (6 km) from Brockenhurst
Brockenhurst
Brockenhurst is a village situated in the New Forest, Hampshire, England. The New Forest is a national park and Brockenhurst is therefore surrounded by woodland that attracts thousands of visitors all year round. The nearby towns surrounding Brockenhurst are Lymington and Lyndhurst. Brockenhurst...
- both stations are on the South Western Main Line
South Western Main Line
The South Western Main Line is a railway line between London Waterloo and Weymouth on the Dorset coast, in the south of England. It is a major railway which serves many important commuter areas, as well as the major settlements of Southampton and Bournemouth...
to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Weymouth. Bus service operated by Wilts & Dorset
Wilts & Dorset
Wilts & Dorset is a bus company in England covering Poole, Bournemouth, East Dorset, South Wiltshire and West Hampshire. Its local headquarters is in Poole, but it is owned by the Go-Ahead Group, a major UK transport group....
run frequently to Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
and Lymington
Lymington
Lymington is a port on the west bank of the Lymington River on the Solent, in the New Forest district of Hampshire, England. It is to the east of the South East Dorset conurbation, and faces Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight which is connected to it by a car ferry, operated by Wightlink. The town...
, also several times each weekday to Ringwood
Ringwood
Ringwood is a historic market town and civil parish in Hampshire, England, located on the River Avon, close to the New Forest and north of Bournemouth. It has a history dating back to Anglo-Saxon times, and has held a weekly market since the Middle Ages....
. There are also two daily National Express
National Express
National Express Coaches, more commonly known as National Express, is a brand and company, owned by the National Express Group, under which the majority of long distance bus and coach services in Great Britain are operated,...
coach departures to London Victoria
Victoria Coach Station
Victoria Coach Station is the largest and most significant coach station in London. It serves long distance coach services and is also the departure point for many countryside coach tours originating from London. It should not be confused with the nearby Green Line Coach Station serving Green Line...
. The New Forest Tour
New Forest Tour
The New Forest Tour is an open-top bus service in the New Forest, running two circular routes around Lyndhurst, Brockenhurst, Lymington, Beaulieu and Exbury Gardens as well as going to Ringwood, Fordingbridge, Cadnam and Ashurst...
, an open-top bus tour run in the summer, starts and finishes in Lyndhurst.
External links
- Lyndhurst Parish Council
- New Forest District Council
- Lyndhurst, New Forest Explorers Guide