Coordinates: 50°45′31″N 1°40′06″W / 50.75862°N 1.66820°W / 50.75862; -1.66820
New Milton is a market town in south west Hampshire, England. The town has a high street, which has various shops and also holds a market every Wednesday. Situated on the edge of the New Forest, the town is 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 is recorded as having a population of approximately 23,000 in 2001.
The town prospered in Victorian times, and in March 1888 New Milton railway station was opened, which is still in operation today. Milton is derived from Old English for Middle Farm. Milton, which later became and is still known today as Old Milton sits between Barton on Sea and New Milton. The town expanded rapidly with the coming of the railway and the name New Milton was used for the frist time and can originally be traced back to the old Post Office that stood opposite the train station. The lady owner of the Post Office commissioned a sign, which read - New Milton Post Office to differentiate it from the post office in Old Milton and so the name New Milton caught on. Much of the local farmland has been developed, first in the 1960s for commuter housing and again in the 1970s for small industrial/trade units. There is a mix of housing from cottages on the outskirts to more modern, urban housing in the central area.
There are a few notable architectural points of interest in the local area. However, a distinctive row of Coast Guard Cottages are to be found in Barton Lane, Barton on Sea, which were built at the end of the nineteen century by the Government of the day to house armed guards to try and stop the smuggling that was rife at the time. The Barton on Sea and Mudeford coastline was renowned for smuggling with many of the offshore seaways and routes to shore being named after well known local smuggling families. 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).
On 23 August 1940, 8 August 1942 and 22 January 1943 bombing raids were carried out upon New Milton by the German Luftwaffe. The town's water tower was suggested as the target. During the Second World War, New Milton homed evacuees and was a transit station for soldiers going to the battlefields. It also had an army hospital. It was a favourite for the American airmen who were based at the nearby airfields at Lymington and Holmsley.
The Memorial Centre in Whitefield Road commemorates those who died in the raids, as well as townspeople who have died more recently. Bricks can be purchased for inscription and insertion into the wall of the Memorial Room, which stands to the left of the front door and contains mementos saved from the original building, which was destroyed by fire in the 1970s.
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 in the Barton geological beds. 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.
Activities
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.
The Forest Arts Centre (formerly known as the New Milton Drama Centre) is situated at the end of Old Milton Road. It comprises 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 Hugh Dennis, Harry Hill, Frank Skinner. Simon Amstell, Phil Jupitus, John Hegley and Alun Cochrane.
The Memorial Centre also hosts various activities, including painting, dancing, indoor bowls, yoga, model car racing, and the Decorative and Fine Arts Society. It contains one of the largest function rooms in the local area, seating 350, with a raised stage. It also has two further rooms for hire upstairs, and there is a platform lift for disabled access. Like Forest Arts, its activities to date have centred mainly on the elderly population, but its position next to the 'Rec', skate park and youth café make it an ideal centre for younger people. The newly formed Friends group is promoting involvement of local schools and businesses, and is currently refurbishing the Centre to make it more attractive to hirers.
The town's leisure amenities include: a park with children's play area, a skate park and fullsize basketball court, Fawcett playing fields, a community centre, tennis courts, a bowls club, a library and a sports centre (including swimming pool, sauna, gym, squash courts, toilets, changing rooms, staff, cleaners, instructors, car park, entrance, fire exits, reception desk, goggle seller, rubbish bins, loveli lakes etc). Being near the New Forest, the town is also a good location to be based for walking, cycling and riding. There are many holiday and caravan parks in the surrounding area.
The town also increasingly attracts shoppers from throughout the surrounding area. Although the high street is not long, it caters for the mixed local population of retirees and young families, and includes young children's clothes shops, toy shops, electrical stores, shoe shops, young adult clothing, ladies clothing, gentlemans outfitters, and a large traditional department store, Bradbeers, as well as the supermarkets, convenience stores and eateries.
Eating and drinking out
There is a variety of places to eat out in New Milton, including restaurants and pavement cafés, the number of which has increased in the last few years. There are also various takeaway shops around the town, including Indian, Chinese and Fish & Chips. There are a number of pubs around the town, such as The Plough, The Rydal Arms, The Old Barn and The Wheatsheaf.
Along New Milton high street there are also supermarkets, a wine shop, bakers, butchers and art centres.
Education
The local state schools are
- New Milton Infants
- New Milton Juniors
- Ashley Infants
- Ashley Juniors
- Hordle School
- Ballard School
- Arnewood School
There are also a selection of independent schools.
(Local State & Independent Schools.)
The Arnewood School has approximately 1200 students, and has achieved second phase Technology College status. The school has a large sixth form, which is in the top ten percent in national statistics. The school achieved 72% A*-C in 2008 (60% including English and Mathematics).
Around New Milton, very popular colleges include Brockenhurst College and Totton College.
Famous residents
Famous visitors
Twin town
References
External links
