New Milton

Template:GBthumb New Milton is a market town in south west Hampshire, England. The town centre has a varied, vibrant shopping centre, and a market is held every Wednesday. Situated on the edge of the New Forest, the town is on the A337 road about 8 miles (13 km) west of Lymington town centre and 12 miles (19 km) east of Bournemouth town centre. The town is part of the South East Dorset conurbation.

History

New Milton dates back to before the Domesday Book and encompasses Old Milton, Barton-on-Sea, Ashley, and Bashley. It has a population of approximately 230.

It prospered in Victorian times from the opening of the railway station in March 1888 and much of the local farmland was developed in the 1960s for commuter housing and the 1970s for small industrial/trade units. There is a mix of housing from village and forest properties to more urban housing in the larger towns in the area. Travel connections are good with easy access to motorways, and airports at Bournemouth, Southampton and London Heathrow.

There are a few notable architectural points of interest in the local area. Britain's first reinforced concrete bridge was built in 1900 just outside New Milton at Chewton. There was an earlier experiment in building with this material in its unreinforced form at Sway (Sway Tower).

Also built in 1900 was the Tudor style water tower, which can be found in Osborne Road. It has a staircase and is constructed with a turret, slit windows and battlements. It is a striking orangey red colour, probably built from locally manufactured bricks link.

Culture

Tourist attractions include the Sammy Miller Motorcycle museum, situated on the corner of Stem Lane, which is regarded as the leading collection of motorcycles and accompanying memorabilia in the country.

Forest Arts Centre (formerly known as the New Milton Drama Centre) is situated at the end of Old Milton Road. It comprises of several exhibition/activity rooms, a bar area and the main 150 seat studio theatre. It hosts a wide range of performances, including multi genre music, theatre, comedy, dance, films, literature - as well as putting on an array of activities and workshops for people in the community of all ages. Although having a reputation of catering mainly for the town's more elderly population, Forest Arts is slowly building up the quality of the acts it puts on, and has done especially well in attracting big name comedians to perform warm-up shows at the venue. These have included Harry Hill, Hugh Dennis, Frank Skinner and Phil Jupitus.

Barton-on-Sea

The coastal village of Barton-on-Sea is nowadays included as a suburb of New Milton. In the First World War Barton was the site of a convalescent home for Indian service men and this is commemorated by an obelisk in the village.

The coast at Barton-on-Sea is particularly well-known for its geological content, being home to many fossils. The cliff tops are home to a scenic golf course. A cliff-top path runs between Barton and the village of Milford on Sea. From there, the Solent Way stretches all the way to Emsworth, on the West Sussex border. It is also well known for the fact that it was the first place in England to try out rock groynes.

There has been some speculation that the 2007 Kent earthquake may have caused a 300 metre (948ft) crack in a cliff at Barton-on-Sea creating fears of a landslide. A spokesman for the Marine and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said "We do not know if it is linked to the earthquake but it is too coincidental to ignore" ^[1]. This was dismissed by local residents, who claim the crack had been there for years. The cliffs at Barton are however prone to erosion and slumpage, as is evident elsewhere along the sea front.

Famous Residents

Constance Applebee, who introduced the game of field hockey to the USA died in New Milton
Sammy Miller, owner of Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum
Jamie Redknapp, footballer born in Barton on Sea
Neil Moss, the AFC Bournemouth goalkeeper born in the town.

References

^ "Landslip fear over clifftop crack". BBC News. Retrieved 2007-04-28.

External links

50°45′31″N 1°40′06″W / 50.75862°N 1.66820°W / 50.75862; -1.66820

[1] "Landslip fear over clifftop crack". BBC News. Retrieved 2007-04-28.

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