Boldre
| Boldre | |
|---|---|
 Boldre in the New Forest |
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 Boldre
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| Boldre shown within Hampshire | |
| Population | 2,003 (2011 Census including Pilley ,South Baddesley and Walhampton) |
| OS grid reference | SZ315981 |
| Civil parish |
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| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LYMINGTON |
| Postcode district | SO41 |
| Dialling code | 01590 |
| Police | Hampshire |
| Fire | Hampshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | |
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 (3 km) north of Lymington. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,931, increasing at the 2011 Census to 2,003.
The present boundaries of the parish enclose an area of 7,718 acres (31.23 km2) and include the hamlets of Battramsley, Sandy Down, Pilley, Bull Hill, Norley Wood, Portmore, South Baddesley, and Walhampton. Boldre has a church, St John the Baptist, Boldre Club which is one of the oldest surviving clubs in the forest, a pub called the Red Lion, a Church of England School on Pilley Hill called William Gilpin after the Vicar of the Church and the old school house (located on Boldre Lane) and a Post Office. The post box can still be seen today, and the school is now a house with a plaque outside.
A hundred years ago, W.H. Hudson described the countryside north of Lymington around the villages of Pilley and Boldre in Hampshire Days as 'a land of secret, green, out-of-the-world places.' Today it contains large homes and is much more accessible, but remains largely unspoilt.
The Domesday Book contains a substantial entry on the Hundred of Boldre, where it is recorded as "Bouvre". This is probably a Norman corruption of "Bol Re" (a plank over a river). The church replaced an earlier one from the 13th century and a huge iron key which was used by the monks from Beaulieu Abbey is still used to unlock the doors.
Former residents include William Gilpin, who was the village parson and lived at Vicars Hill. He was famed for his wealth of knowledge about the New Forest, and its flora and fauna. William Gilpin is buried in the churchyard of St John the Baptist beside an old maple tree. He died in 1804 at the age of 80 and it is written:
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Wikipedia