Milford on Sea
Milford on Sea | ||
---|---|---|
Shire county | ||
Region | ||
Country | England | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom | |
Post town | LYMINGTON | |
Postcode district | SO41 | |
Dialling code | 01590 | |
Police | Hampshire and Isle of Wight | |
Fire | Hampshire and Isle of Wight | |
Ambulance | South Central | |
UK Parliament | ||
Milford on Sea, often hyphenated, is a large coastal village and civil parish in the New Forest district, on the Hampshire coast, England. The parish had a population of 4,660 at the 2011 census and is centred about 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Lymington. Tourism and businesses for quite prosperous retirees as well as the care sector make up large parts of its economy. Businesses include restaurants, cafés, tea rooms, small shops, garden centres, pubs and camping/lodge/caravan parks, bed-and-breakfasts and a few luxury hotels. Shops cluster on its small high street, which fronts a village green. The western cliffs are accessed by flights of steps. In common with the flatter coast by the more commercial and eastern part of Milford, they have car parks with some facilities, which, along with many apartment blocks and houses, have close views of The Needles, which are the main, large chalk rocks immediately next to the Isle of Wight.
Its western coast is a large bank of shingle below green cliffs. Bathing, when seas are calm, is favourable as tides are relatively muted for the coast at this point and thin sandbanks are nearby at lower water. The eastern part of the place culminates in Hurst Castle, Hurst Point which is a 16th-century defensive fort with later modifications, which has a museum, visitor tour rides and amenities for tourists.
Much of the land of the parish has been recognised and protected from dense habitation by a surrounding
History
Milford began as a Saxon settlement, and the name simply means "mill ford".[2] At the time of the Domesday Book of 1086 there were two separate estates in Milford, one held by Aelfric Small, and the other land with no villeins or cottars noted held by Wulfgar.[3] At a later date three separate manors were evolved from these estates and were eventually known by the names of Milford Montagu, Milford Barnes, and Milford Baddesley.[4]
The manor of Milford Montagu, which was held of the lords of
The manor of Milford Barnes originally belonged to
The manor of Milford Baddesley originated in an estate held in Milford by the
Newlands
Around 1800 Admiral William Cornwallis leased then bought as freehold the small Newlands estate in Milford.[5] This included the manors of Milford Montagu(e) and Milford Barnes.[5] He was joined at Newlands by his friend and fellow naval officer Captain John Whitby and John's wife Mary Anna Theresa.[5] John died in 1806, but Mary and her infant daughter Theresa stayed on looking after Cornwallis into his old age.[5] On Cornwallis's death in 1819, Mary and her daughter inherited his fortune.[5]
In 1829 Mary Whitby purchased Milford Baddesley, re-uniting the main manors of the parish covering about half of its area, thus about 2,500 acres (1,000 ha).[5] Her daughter Theresa, who inherited these, married Frederick Richard West, and they used Newlands as one of their residences.[5] Their son, born in 1835, bore the name of William Cornwallis-West.[5] He inherited Newlands in 1886, and attempted to convert Milford into a premier seaside resort, changing the name of the village to Milford-on-Sea.[6] His plans included the construction of a pier, railway station, public baths, health spa, and golf course.[7] The scheme failed primarily due to a lack of funds and market interest,[7] but it gave Milford a layout and ordered development that lasted well into the 20th century.[6] The other surviving element of this plan is Westover Hall.[8] It was built in 1897 originally as a private villa for Alexander Siemens.[8] It was later converted to a hotel.[8] William's son George Cornwallis-West inherited Newlands in 1917 and, amid bankruptcy proceedings, sold it three years later.[5]
Modern times
As recently as 1800 the parish of Milford was entirely inland, being separated from the sea by a narrow strip of coast-line which was an extension eastwards of Hordle parish.[4] Coastal erosion, as well as the growth of the village to the south and west, meant that by 1900 Milford bordered the sea.[4] Milford was part of a combined Milford and Pennington Parish Council after 1894, and then became a separate Milford Parish Council when Pennington was separated from it in 1911.[9] However, in 1932 Milford was absorbed into an enlarged Lymington Borough, only re-emerging as a separate parish in 1974.
With the advent of increasing car ownership, especially after the
Geography
From most of the coast on a clear night, the conurbation of Christchurch, Bournemouth and Poole is visible from the coastal road and adjoining promenade and the brighter stars; in daytime the view extends in most weather conditions to the white cliffs and further part of the headland beyond of the Isle of Purbeck, a peninsula in Dorset. At the closer level Milford is on a broad sub-bay (Christchurch Bay), ended by the Bournemouth Bay headland and entrance to the harbour of Christchurch, which thus juts out little from this vantage point, Hengistbury Head, traversed by a regular foot ferry in most seasons.
To the east in the parish, less than a mile from the nucleated village centre, is Keyhaven which has a boatyard and half of the Lymington-Keyhaven nature reserve (or Marshes): a raised sea wall path around migratory bird shallow lakes, cattle/rabbit meadow and diverse wetland including salt marsh. To its south Keyhaven Harbour is a natural lagoon extension of the biome, west of which Sturt Pond is its estuarine habitat extension.[10]
South of the lagoons leading to the harbour and close to town centre Sturt Pond is
The beach has varying size shingle, beyond which is some inter-tidal sand. Facing this and the broad clifftop/lower town residential promenade are the Needles and rest of the north-western Isle of Wight.
All Saints' Church
The oldest building in Milford is All Saints' Church. The earliest parts of the structure are probably true Norman-era (early 12th century) work from a preceding church.[11] A south aisle was added around 1170.[11] In the 13th century the church was more than trebled in size and brought to its present plan. This work, which occurred in stages, included the north façade and tower, the chancel, and north and south chapels.[11] The work was funded by Isabel de Forz, 8th Countess of Devon.[12] The tower has a later, short recessed spire.[11] The north aisle was rebuilt in the mid-1850s and the church's current pulpit was added in around 1920.[12] William Saville-Kent is buried here, the grave is decorated with a variety of fossilised sponges.[13]
The ecclesiastical parish still includes the chapelry or united benefice of Everton and the locality of Keyhaven where water dominates the land in the east.
Governance
An electoral ward in the name of Milford exists. At the 2011 Census the population of this ward was 4,838.[14] The district, for most hard communal infrastructure, education and social care (amongst other functions) is in Hampshire County Council's area.
Events and festivals
- In February the place's Food Week takes place.
- Milford holds a May Day festival each year.
- In June–July there is a music (with many live bands across many venues) and arts festival.
- In August the town holds a carnival.
Parish Vision 2020
This plan is a statement of community ambitions, based on research and public consultation. It builds on the 2002 Village Design Statement which dealt essentially with land use issues.[15]
Strategic objectives:[citation needed]
- Improving housing and employment opportunities, particularly for young people
- Improving the provision of social, cultural and recreational facilities.
- Enhancing and protecting the natural environment.
- Maintaining and developing parish facilities for tourism and business opportunities.
- Improving transport links with hinterland communities.
- Making the village centre safer for pedestrians whilst protecting its special character.
Notable residents
- Christopher Airay, logician, was vicar here in the 17th century, from about 1646.[16][17][18]
- William Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield, philanthropist and industrialist, owned a house on the clifftop, 1 Park Lane, which is now a hotel.
- David Peach, Gillingham, Southampton (including in FA Cup Final: 1976), Swindon Town, Leyton Orient (and England under-23) footballer.
- Frances Fisher, Hollywood actress in films such as Titanic, was born here.
- Frank Wootton, 20th century aviation artist, was born in the village.
Notes
- ^ "QS102EW Population density for Milford on Sea". www.ons.gov.uk. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ^ "Milford, Old Hampshire Gazetteer".
- ^ "Domesday Map – Milford". Archived from the original on 2 November 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Victoria County History of Hampshire: Milford
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Historical faces from Milford on Sea".
- ^ a b "Hampshire Treasures, Volume 5 (New Forest), Page 229 – Milford on Sea". Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
- ^ a b c Milford-on-Sea Village Design Statement, (2002), page 3
- ^ ISBN 9780300225037.
- ^ "Hampshire Treasures, Volume 5 (New Forest), Page 167 – Lymington and Pennington". Archived from the original on 18 September 2011.
- ^ "New Forest Local Group - the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds".
- ^ a b c d "Hampshire Treasures, Volume 5 (New Forest), Page 234 – Milford on Sea". Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
- ^ ISBN 9780300225037.
- ^ The Kings England, Hampshire with the Isle of Wight. Edited by Arthur Mee.Pub. Hodder and Stoughton 1939. Page 229.
- ^ "Ward population 2011". Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Milford-on-Sea Action Plan. Parish Vision 2020 - ^ s:Airay, Christopher (DNB00)
- ^ "GENUKI – Westmorland – Clifton".
- ^ "House of Lords Journal Volume 8: 7 November 1646 | British History Online".