East Boldre is a

linear village Linearity is the property of a mathematical relationship (''function'') that can be graphically represented as a straight line. Linearity is closely related to '' proportionality''. Examples in physics include rectilinear motion, the linear r ...

and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

situated near

Lymington Lymington is a port town on the west bank of the Lymington River on the Solent, in the New Forest district of Hampshire, England. It faces Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, to which there is a car ferry service operated by Wightlink. It is within the ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

, England. East Boldre is surrounded by the

New Forest The New Forest is one of the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in Southern England, covering southwest Hampshire and southeast Wiltshire. It was proclaimed a royal forest by William the Conqueror, featu ...

and forms part of the district of New Forest. The

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

parish church is dedicated to St. Paul and there is a

baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

chapel which was founded in 1810. There is a traditional local pub, The Turfcutters Arms, and a post office. The parish includes the adjoining hamlet of

East End The East End of London, often referred to within the London area simply as the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It does not have uni ...

History

People have lived in the East Boldre area since prehistoric times. Over thirty

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

barrows lie within the parish boundaries.East Boldre
, www3.hants.gov.uk, retrieved 10 July 2011 The village of East Boldre was originally a straggling

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

and was known as Beaulieu Rails. This earlier name reflected the fact that the settlement had grown up along the wooden railings defining the western boundary of the Manor and parish of Beaulieu. The residents were described in a parliamentary report in 1834 as "for the most part smugglers and deer-stealers." The first church was a

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

church founded in 1810. The

church of St. Paul was built in 1839, but was

restored ''Restored'' is the fourth studio album by American contemporary Christian music musician Jeremy Camp. It was released on November 16, 2004 by BEC Recordings. Track listing Standard release Enhanced edition Deluxe gold edition Standard ...

and the chancel added in 1891.Victoria County History, (1911), A History of the County of Hampshire: Volume 4 - Boldre, Pages 616-623
/ref> The ecclesiastical parish of East Boldre was formed in 1840.William White, (1878), ''History, gazetteer and directory of the county of Hampshire'', page 211. There were 650 inhabitants in 1871. The village hall was built in 1917.
East Boldre Parish Council, retrieved 10 July 2011 In 1929 East Boldre Civil Parish was created from the Parish of

Boldre Boldre is a village and civil parish in the New Forest district of Hampshire, England. It is in the south of the New Forest National Park, above the broadening (estuary) of the Lymington River, two miles (3 km) north of Lymington. In the 2 ...

. An airfield was built in East Boldre in 1910. There was a flying school here for two years before the airfield reverted to quiet grazing land. In 1914 one of the sheds on the airfield was taken over by the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

and by 1915 the demand for pilots for

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

was so great that a training school called RFC Beaulieu was built on the area. On 24 October 1917, the village post office at East Boldre was accidentally damaged by a British aeroplane, and for six months the elderly inhabitants had to live under tarpaulins in the house even whilst transacting postal business. The camp was closed in 1919. The airfield identification letters, BEAULIEU, have been restored and are still visible at his location 50°48'25.9"N 1°28'52.7"W RFC Beaulieu identification letters

In 1942, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, a three runway airfield,

RAF Beaulieu Royal Air Force Beaulieu or more simply RAF Beaulieu is a former Royal Air Force station in the New Forest, Hampshire, England. It was also known as Beaulieu airfield, Beaulieu aerodrome and USAAF Station AAF 408. It is located next to the villa ...

, was built on the opposite side of the road. It was used by both the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

and then later by the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

. After the war, the

Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment The Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment (AFEE) was a branch of the British Air Ministry, that researched and developed non-traditional airborne applications, such as gliders, rotary wing aircraft, and dropping of personnel and equipment b ...

(AFEE) came to RAF Beaulieu, and used the former airfield as a parachute dropping zone until September 1950.RAF Beaulieu Airfield
rafbeaulieu.co.uk, retrieved 22 December 2022 The site was then neglected and the Air Ministry relinquished control of the land in 1959. Today model aircraft are flown on the site on a regular basis. The film director

Ken Russell Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell (3 July 1927 – 27 November 2011) was a British film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. His films in the main were liberal adaptation ...

and his fourth wife Elize lived in a thatched cottage in East Boldre. On 3 April 2006 the cottage burned down, destroying most of their possessions, including much of Russell's movie-making equipment. They afterwards moved to nearby

.Stage & Screen: Ken Russell
'' Daily Echo'', 21 June 2007, retrieved 2 December 2011

Notes

External links

Parish Council & Village Hall website
* {{authority control Villages in Hampshire