East Boldre
Encyclopedia
East Boldre is a linear village
and civil parish
situated near Lymington
, Hampshire
, England
. East Boldre is surrounded by the New Forest
and forms part of the district of New Forest
.
The Anglican
parish church is dedicated to St. Paul and there is a baptist
chapel which was founded in 1810. There is a traditional local pub, The Turfcutters Arms, and a post office. The parish includes the adjoining hamlet of East End
.
barrows lie within the parish boundaries.
The village of East Boldre was originally a straggling hamlet
and was known as Beaulieu Rails. This earlier name reflected the fact that the settlement had grown up along the wooden railings defining the western boundary of the Manor and parish of Beaulieu
. The residents were described in a parliamentary report in 1834 as "for the most part smugglers and deer-stealers."
The first church was a Baptist
church founded in 1810. The Anglican
church of St. Paul was built in 1839, but was restored
and the chancel added in 1891. The ecclesiastical parish of East Boldre was formed in 1840. There were 650 inhabitants in 1871. The village hall was built in 1917. In 1929 East Boldre Civil Parish was created from the Parish of Boldre
.
An airfield was built in East Boldre in 1910. There was a flying school here for two years before the airfield reverted to quiet grazing land, but in 1914 one of the sheds on the airfield was taken over by the Royal Flying Corps
and by 1915 the demand for pilots for World War I
was so great that a training school, called RFC Beaulieu was built on the area. On the 24th October 1917, the village post office at East Boldre was accidentally damaged by a British aeroplane, and for six months the elderly inhabitants had to live under tarpaulins in the house even whilst transacting postal business. The camp was closed in 1919.
In 1942, during World War II
, a three runway airfield, RAF Beaulieu
, was built on the opposite side of the road. It was used by both the Royal Air Force
and then later by the United States Army Air Force. After the war the Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment (AFEE) came to the airfield and used it as a parachute dropping zone until September 1950. The site was then neglected and the Air Ministry relinquished control of the land in 1959. Today model aircraft are flown on the site on a regular basis.
Linear village
In geography, a linear village, or linear settlement, is a small to medium-sized settlement that is formed around a transport route, such as a road, river, or canal. Wraysbury, a village in Berkshire, is one of the longest villages in England....
and 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...
situated near 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...
, 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...
. East Boldre is surrounded by 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....
and forms part of the district of New Forest
New Forest (district)
New Forest is a local government district in Hampshire, England. It is named after the New Forest.It was created on 1 April 1974, and was a merger of the borough of Lymington, New Forest Rural District and part of Ringwood and Fordingbridge Rural District....
.
The Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
parish church is dedicated to St. Paul and there is a baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
chapel which was founded in 1810. There is a traditional local pub, The Turfcutters Arms, and a post office. The parish includes the adjoining hamlet of East End
East End, Hampshire
East End is a hamlet in the civil parish of East Boldre in the New Forest National Park of Hampshire, England. Its nearest town is Lymington, which lies approximately 4.2 miles south-west from the hamlet.-History:...
.
History
People have lived in the East Boldre area since prehistoric times. Over thirty Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
barrows lie within the parish boundaries.
The village of East Boldre was originally a straggling hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
and was known as Beaulieu Rails. This earlier name reflected the fact that the settlement had grown up along the wooden railings defining the western boundary of the Manor and parish of Beaulieu
Beaulieu
-England:* Beaulieu, Hampshire, a village in the New Forest* Beaulieu Abbey, located in Beaulieu, Hampshire* Beaulieu Palace House, located in Beaulieu, Hampshire* Beaulieu River, running through Beaulieu, Hampshire...
. The residents were described in a parliamentary report in 1834 as "for the most part smugglers and deer-stealers."
The first church was a Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
church founded in 1810. The Anglican
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
church of St. Paul was built in 1839, but was restored
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
and the chancel added in 1891. The ecclesiastical parish of East Boldre was formed in 1840. There were 650 inhabitants in 1871. The village hall was built in 1917. In 1929 East Boldre Civil Parish was created from the Parish of Boldre
Boldre
Boldre is a village and civil parish in the New Forest district of Hampshire. It is situated inside the New Forest National Park borders, near the Lymington River, and is about two miles north of Lymington...
.
An airfield was built in East Boldre in 1910. There was a flying school here for two years before the airfield reverted to quiet grazing land, but in 1914 one of the sheds on the airfield was taken over by the Royal Flying Corps
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
and by 1915 the demand for pilots for World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
was so great that a training school, called RFC Beaulieu was built on the area. On the 24th October 1917, the village post office at East Boldre was accidentally damaged by a British aeroplane, and for six months the elderly inhabitants had to live under tarpaulins in the house even whilst transacting postal business. The camp was closed in 1919.
In 1942, during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, a three runway airfield, RAF Beaulieu
RAF Beaulieu
RAF Station Beaulieu was a World War II airfield in the New Forest, Hampshire, England. It was also known as Beaulieu airfield, Beaulieu aerodrome and USAAF Station AAF 408...
, was built on the opposite side of the road. It was used by both the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
and then later by the United States Army Air Force. After the war the Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment (AFEE) came to the airfield and used it as a parachute dropping zone until September 1950. The site was then neglected and the Air Ministry relinquished control of the land in 1959. Today model aircraft are flown on the site on a regular basis.