Buckler's Hard

It was a dull today as promised by the weather forecast. After breakfast we went to visit Christchurch, which is a rather charming town with a beautiful old priory that dates back more than 900 years ago. We spent some time in the priory and for the nominal fee of £2, I was allowed to take photos inside. It has the most beautiful misericords, dating from 1250 which show a mixture of mythological and folklore scenes, some of which appear to have been derived from Aesops fables. I have an extra photo of the charming town and of the little yacht club which has many resident swans.

We then drove to Buckler's Hard, near Beaulieu, which 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. The light was poor but I Iiked the red marker post in this scene.


We got back to the hotel as it started raining. We stayed in our hotel room and ordered scones and tea, and watched the SA vs NZ rugby match. Thomas was very upset with the result as he likes to support the South African team! I think NZ deserved to win as they played so well and I am sure they will go on to win the tournament.