Events Calendar
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Thursday 25 May 2023 06:30pm
NEW FOREST COMMONERS: Life in the 19th Century :: Meetings
Location : Beaulieu Village Hall
NEW FOREST COMMONERS: Life in the 19th Century
presented by Dr Christina Dykes
For details see the attached flyer.361.92 KB
Tuesday 25th May 2023 6:30pm (doors open 6pm)
at Beaulieu Village Hall SO42 7YA
Admission free to members. Guests and non-members £5. No booking required.
Thursday 22 June 2023 06:30pm
SPECIAL OPERATIONS EXECUTIVE: Characters, Courage, and Connections :: Meetings
Location : Beaulieu Village Hall
SPECIAL OPERATIONS EXECUTIVE: Characters, Courage, and Connections
presented by Peter Power
For details click here see the flyer439 KB
Thursday 22nd June 2023 6:30pm (doors open 6pm)
at Beaulieu Village Hall SO42 7YA
Admission free to members. Guests and non-members £5. No booking required.
Wednesday 27 September 2023 06:30pm
EVENT FULLY BOOKED - The Myth, John Montagu's Adventure and the building of Buckler's Hard :: Meetings
Location : Master Builder’s
The Myth, John Montagu's Adventure and the building of Buckler's Hard
presented by Ken Robinson
THIS EVENT IS NOW FULLY BOOKED
Widely known as a "Historic Shipbuilding Village", there is much more to the history of Buckler’s Hard before the building of ships for Nelson’s fleet began. This highly illustrated talk will consider the extraordinary accomplishments and actions of John 2nd Duke of Montagu in the early 1700s whose decision to mount the most expensive adventure ever undertaken by the owners of the Beaulieu Estate, and its unexpected outcome, led to the building of the Buckler's Hard.
Wednesday 27th September 2023 6:30pm
at Master Builder’s House Hotel, Bucklers Hard
followed by a Reception, kindly hosted by Hillbrooke Hotels
Admission free to BHS members. Booking will be necessary due to limited capacity. Click here to book
Friday 10 November 2023 06:30pm
Another opportunity to see the presentation on the founding of Buckler's Hard :: Meetings
Location : Royal Southampton Yacht Club at Gins
The Myth, John Montagu's Adventure and the building of Buckler's Hard
presented by Ken Robinson
Widely known as a "Historic Shipbuilding Village", there is much more to the history of Buckler’s Hard before the building of ships for Nelson’s fleet began. This highly illustrated talk will consider the extraordinary accomplishments and actions of John 2nd Duke of Montagu in the early 1700s whose decision to mount the most expensive adventure ever undertaken by the owners of the Beaulieu Estate, and its unexpected outcome, led to the building of the Buckler's Hard.
Friday 10th November 2023 6:30pm Doors will open at 6pm.
at Royal Southampton Yacht Club, Gins Farm Clubhouse, St Leonards Cottages, Beaulieu, Brockenhurst SO42 7XG
This event is kindly hosted by Royal Southampton Yacht Club
There is no charge for the event for BHS members. The bar will be open before and after the talk, and a fixed price supper is available of Chicken a la King with Rice if prebooked at £18.00 per person, following the talk. (pay for the the meal on the night)
Bookings are required and restricted to a maximum of 2 people per application, one of whom must be a member of the Society.
Monday 27 November 2023 06:30pm
NEEDS OAR POINT AIRFIELD: a story rarely told :: Meetings
Location : Beaulieu Village Hall
NEEDS OAR POINT AIRFIELD: a story rarely told
presented by Marc Heighway
For just three short yet eventful months in WW2, the peace of farmer's fields south of Buckler's Hard was shattered by the arrival of 120 Typhoon fighter bombers and one thousand men. Find out how agricultural land near Park Farm and St Leonards was converted into one of the UK's busiest airfields on D-Day.
The story of RAF Needs Oar Point is one that has rarely been told despite the role it played in wartime. The talk includes never before seen photography and film, tales of bravery, inspiring stories, and how tragedy and high casualty rates struck the young men who flew from these local fields of green.
Monday 27th November 2023 6:30pm
at Beaulieu Village Hall SO42 7YA
Admission free to members. Guests and non-members £5. No booking required.
Christmas refreshments served.
Thursday 01 February 2024 06:30pm
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING :: Meetings
Location : Beaulieu Village Hall
Thursday 1st February 2024 at 6:30pm, doors open 6pm
Beaulieu Village Hall SO42 7YA
Committee Membership
The Committee of the Beaulieu History Society welcomes any member who wishes to join the Committee. For details of how to put your name forward, see the attached flyer. Or if you would prefer to discuss it, talk to a member of the Committee at the next society meeting.
A document containing the AGM papers (Agenda, Minutes of last AGM, Officers’ Reports and last year’s Financial Statements) is attached. It will be available on the society’s website www.beaulieuhistorysociety.org.uk/about-us/meetings and at the meeting.
To be followed by a
LOCAL HISTORY QUIZ
Following the brief AGM there will be a fun History Quiz including viewing and identifying local historic objects.
Admission free to members. Subscriptions will be taken for 2024 membership.
No booking required. Drinks and finger food will be served.
Best regards,
John Pemberton
BEAULIEU HISTORY SOCIETY
Monday 29 April 2024 06:30pm
Lumberjills Presented by Joanna Foat :: Meetings
Location : Beaulieu Village Hall
Lumberjills
Presented by Joanna Foat
Few know the story of the women across Britain who took the place of men fighting in the Second World War and helped harvest trees to maintain the supply of timber and support the war effort. They were members of the Timber Corps of the Women’s Land Army.
Joanna Foat has changed all this. She extensively researched the story of these women; of their service and endurance: backbreaking and dangerous work in difficult locations, and often with poor pay, little training and poor living conditions. Their compensation was the skills and confidence they gained and the relationships they formed with their fellow women, often lasting a lifetime. They served in the New Forest, one of the largest areas of public land from which timber was harvested. By the end of the war, it is said, some half of its trees had been felled.
Joanna will reveal the fascinating story of these women; a story she has been invited to tell many times and has recorded in her book, Lumberjills: Britain’s Forgotten Army.
Monday 29 April 2024 6:30pm
at Beaulieu Village Hall SO42 7YA
Admission free to members. Guests and non-members £5. No booking required
Monday 20 May 2024 06:30pm
Indian Army in the New Forest presented by Nick Saunder :: Meetings
Location : Beaulieu Village Hall
In World War I, a surprising number of soldiers from India, part then of the British Empire, fought alongside the British in the trenches of France and Belgium. Many who were wounded, ill or needing convalescence were brought to the New Forest. A number of hotels were requisitioned and a hospital was built especially for the soldiers in Brockenhurst.
Nick tells their unique story: the contribution they made to World War I and the effort their hosts in England took to look after them.
Click here to view the flyer340.05 KB
Friday 07 June 2024 05:30pm - 07:30pm
The Art of Bucklers Hard hosted by Mary Montagu-Scott :: Meetings
Location : The Shipyard Office, Bucklers Hard
Members are invited to a private viewing of a new art exhibition at Buckler’s Hard:
Explore the exhibition showcasing art from the recent Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year semi-final, as well as paintings from the Montagu family collection. Seven semi-finalists competed for the Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year title at Buckler’s Hard in July 2023. They were tasked with capturing the natural charm of Buckler’s Hard, as well as its rich maritime history.
See a selection of artwork from the Montagu Family collection and other loaned items. Highlights include official Admiralty artist Richard Eurich’s oil painting of a firework display to welcome Sir Francis Chichester’s return in Gipsy Moth IV, as well as watercolour paintings of the High Street by British artists Walter Tyndale and Stanley Orchard.
Friday 7th June 2024 5:30-7:30pm
Drinks will be available.
The exhibition is located in the Shipyard Office at the river end of Buckler’s Hard village, opposite the Master Builder’s House.
Please park in the village car park. Entrance to Buckler’s Hard is free, but there is a modest charge for the car park.
FOR MEMBERS ONLY - If possible, please let us know you are coming so we know the number by clicking here to register: REGISTER
Friday 05 July 2024 06:30pm - 12:00am
Falconry – One Thousand Years in South Hampshire and the New Forest :: Meetings
Location : Domus Hall, Beaulieu Abbey
Presented by Paul Manning (Lord Montagu’s Falconer)
Paul Manning will give his celebrated presentation of the long history of hunting with birds of prey in the area, from the founding of the New Forest as the first royal hunting ground by William the Conqueror in 1079, through the rich history of the centuries which followed, up to modern times.
Paul, who enjoys the title Lord Montagu’s Falconer, will fly birds of prey in the Abbey cloisters if weather conditions permit.
Click here to download the flyer407.79 KB
Admission free to members. Guests and non-members £5. No booking required.
Park in the Church Meadow grass car park for the Abbey Church. Walk along the roadway to the left of the Abbey Church and follow the signs to the meeting in the Domus Hall.
Thursday 26 September 2024 06:30pm
Beaulieu River at War :: Meetings
Location : Beaulieu Village Hall
Presented by Marc Heighway
Prior to World War 2 the Beaulieu River was a sleepy waterway, but once requisitioned by the navy, witnessed an incredible amount of activity. The fear of invasion also led to the village being set as a trap for invading forces. As war progressed, the estate was used to prepare for D-Day, including secret tests being conducted on the water. Aspects of the Mulberry Harbour were also constructed locally, and the historical Buckler’s Hard shipyard pivoted to the production of naval vessels.
Thursday 24 October 2024 06:30pm
The History of Hurst Castle :: Meetings
Location : Beaulieu Village Hall
Talk given by Roger Walker, Chairman of the Friends of Hurst Castle.
The castle was built in 1544 by Henry VIII as part of a chain of artillery fortresses protecting southern England. It guarded the Needles Passage leading to the Solent, the port of Southampton and the naval base at Portsmouth. The castle has outlived turbulent times, but is now facing the challenge of incursion by the sea. In February 2021 a section of the castle collapsed following a storm surge.