Maritime museum

Bucklers Hard, Historic Maritime Museum and Village, Beaulieu, New Forest, Hampshire. ( 2 )

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• published: 29 Sep 2016
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Bucklers Hard is a hamlet situated on the banks of the Beaulieu River in the English county of Hampshire. With its Georgian cottages running down to the river, Bucklers Hard is part of the 9,000 acres ( 36 km2 ) Beaulieu Estate. The hamlet is located some 21⁄2 miles ( 4.0 km ) south of the village of Beaulieu. The hamlet, originally called Montagu Town, was built by the second Duke of Montagu, and was intended to be a free port for trade with the West Indies. Bucklers Hard was the birthplace of many British naval vessels, including many of Admiral Nelson's fleet, using the timber of the New Forest. The Hard, under the control of Master shipbuilder Henry Adams was responsible for building many famous ships during the late 18th century and early 19th centuries. These included HMS Euryalus, HMS Swiftsure and HMS Agamemnon, all of which fought at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The industry declined in the nineteenth-century and today the hamlet is given over to tourism, with a small maritime museum, and a modern yachting marina. During World War II, the village was used to build motor torpedo boats and the river was a base for hundreds of landing craft for the Normandy invasion, Operation Overlord. Bucklers Hard was where Sir Francis Chichester began and finished his single-handed voyage around the world in Gipsy Moth IV. Discover the fascinating story of Montagu Town as it was originally known. Founded as a free port for the trading of sugar from the West Indies, the newly re-designed Maritime Museum tells why the ambitious plans for a new town were never realised and why its name changed to Buckler’s Hard. Learn about the machine gun that fired round and square bullets and see characters from the village at the time of Henry Adams, the Master Shipbuilder who lived and worked at Buckler's Hard. Buckler’s Hard developed as a thriving shipbuilding village where warships for Nelson’s Navy were built, three of which took part in the Battle of Trafalgar. See models of these ships including HMS Euryalus on which the dispatch was written containing the news of the great victory and of Nelson’s death. View Nelson memorabilia including his baby clothes, made for him by the citizens of his birthplace, Burnham Thorpe, in Norfolk. In more recent times, the village played a significant role in the D-Day landings. Learn about the activity on the river during the years of WWII, the building of segments of the Mulberry Harbour, which were towed across to the Normandy coast in preparation for D-Day, and the many hundreds of landing craft that sailed from the Beaulieu River to support the Normandy landings. A film presentation tells the story of Buckler’s Hard at war. Admission price includes entrance to the Maritime Museum and Buckler’s Hard Story and all day car parking. Adult Senior Child Family Annual pass £6.20 £5.80 £4.40 £18.00 £10.00 Child prices apply to children aged 5-17 inclusive. A family ticket covers one adult and up to four children or two adults and up to three children.