History of Battramsley

Battramsley - the home of Red Cottage - is an area within the heart of the New Forest and is actually built upon the very site of a lost Medieval village called “Battramlei”. In fact, our little part of the forest here at Battramsley is steeped in history.

During the reign of Henry the Eighth and the dissolution of the monasteries, a nearby abbey was desecrated and destroyed. Apart from tales of tunnels leading to Beaulieu, legend has it the monks hid the Abbey’s treasure down a well - and it has never been found to this day… There are the remains of an old, blocked tunnel at Battramsley House that was used as an air-raid shelter during the war and the place was even hit by a stray Nazi doodlebug creating a crater - a pond today - and destroying the conservatory on the house. The house was even hit by a meteorite...!

Smugglers operating off the nearby creeks and beaches at Sowley and Buckler’s Hard have left their own footprints in the sands of history, as can been seen in road signs and heard in heaps of local stories.  Visit the shipbuilding area at Bucklers Hard to see how ships were made using old techniques and materials. Then go for a well-earned drink at the Master Builder's and enjoy a view over the beautiful Beaulieu River - where many SOE operatives were trained before being dropped into France to help the Resistance during WW2. Boldre itself - being very flat and near the sea - is the birthplace of the RAF and a visit to the Turfcutter's Arms is well worth it - if only to learn more about the bi-plane that crash-landed on its roof! 

There are many historical guided walks that you can do in the forest - just check out the New Forest Park Authority’s website for more info.  We would be delighted to help advise on days out - please don't hesitate to ask.