Buckler's Hard
The 18th century maritime village of Buckler's Hard sits on the western bank of the Beaulieu River, a couple of miles south of Beaulieu village, and is a pleasant place to while away a couple of hours while learning about the important role that Buckler's Hard played in Britain's shipbuilding history.
The 2nd Duke of Montagu created the village with the import of sugar from the West Indies in mind, but this intention was never realised due to the French takeover of the islands.
Instead, Buckler's Hard became an important shipbuilding village with a perfect location to build the large timber vessels in use by the Navy.
Its sheltered waterfront situation and abundance of oak, beech and elm trees from the nearby New Forest made it one of the country's most important shipbuilding centres at a time when Naval action was a reality and good ships were in strong demand.
Three ships built at Buckler's Hard went on to see action in the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar - the Euryalus, Swiftsure and Agamemnon, the latter being Admiral Nelson's most favoured ship.
Today, Buckler's Hard maritime village is a popular attraction and there are several things to see and do there.
While admission into the village is free, a ticket must be purchased to visit the Buckler's Hard Story and Maritime Museum, which gives an accurate look into village life in the 18th century.
Many models and paintings of ships built there are on display in the building and reconstructed interiors show how the villagers lived, worked and relaxed.
Outdoors you can see the ancient shipbuilding launchways, with some of the original timbers visible at low tide.
A stack of shipbuilding timbers has been reconstructed at the river-end of Village Street, and on the street itself stand the two main rows of red brick cottages, including the Shipwright's Cottage and St.Mary's Chapel.
The Master Builder's pub (originally the home of Henry Adams, Master Shipbuilder between 1749-1805) offers a nice opportunity for a relaxing drink at the river-end of Village Street, while cruises along the Beaulieu River are available at the nearby jetty.
Starting at the jetty is also a 2 mile riverside walk into Beaulieu village.
Tea rooms and a gift shop can also be found within the village grounds, close to the main car park.
Opening times, admission prices & contact details
- 10.00am - 4.30pm November to February
- 10.00am - 5.00pm March to June
- 10.00am - 5.30pm July to August
- 10.00am - 5.00pm September to October
Admission prices:
- Adult £5.90
- Child / youth £4.30 (ages 5-17 inc.)
- Family £17.50
- Senior Citizens £5.40
Location: 2 miles south of Beaulieu on the edge of the Beaulieu River.
Telephone: 01590 612624
Buckler's Hard location map
You can see this area in more detail by opening this PDF map of the south-eastern corner of the National Park (approx. 30 sec download time on 1Mbps connection).
The Buckler's Hard grid reference is: 407003 [How do I read a map?]
(A larger scale map of the whole National Park can be found on the area maps page).
Visit the official Buckler's Hard web site.
Return to main New Forest attractions page.
