Friday 9th May at Beaulieu House and Motor Museum

We had to wait for a while this morning to get into the Museum, so I was able to get our week's washing done.  The Museum opened at 10.00, then the Palace at 11.00.

I wasn't that interested in the Car Collection, which I have to say is enormous.  How that amount of cars were collected is amazing.

So for the car enthusiasts in my circles here is a little selection.

I thought of our cousin Rod, when I saw this old fashioned fire engine

 I left John to peruse the display and caught this nifty bus down to the Abbey and the Palace.

The estate is owned by the Montagu family.  My Durnford relations have links to the Montagus, from Lord Sandwich who died in the 1700's and his estate was left to his wife's nephews, from my Creagh family.  The name Montagu has featured as a name in the family since those days, my great uncle was Montagu John Durnford, and his father Montague Durnford.  The name is in use in Canada and the US where many of the Durnford line live.  I guess when you have 3 wives and 17 children, you spread your destiny far and wide, as my great great grandfather did.

The estate originally was an Abbey, and was destroyed some 300 years later.  Later the house was constructed, and remodelled over the centuries.  I certainly learnt some history of the Montagues, as like our line, they were also descended from William.  I will have additional research to do when I get home, with all the information that I have found and learnt from the places we have seen in this trip.

     

In the herb garden lily of the valley

The next building outlined the role that many of the large stately homes played in World War 2.  They were used to train and house spies.

   

 The the house was open.  It is quite opulent, and has hosted the Kings and Queens over the years.

  

   Bit of history

The game kitchen

    

The present Lord is now 88, and he has done a great job of letting the ordinary people view some extraordinary private collections.

A short drive away was Bucklers Hard.  There we took a short boat ride on the Beaulieu River and checked out the museum.  Shipbuilding was carried out there, including building boats for Battle of Trafalgur.  I found a story of a convict sent to Australia, so thought I had better take a photo in case someone was researching his family.

 
We made our way down to the coast, to Hurst Castle, which was built from the stones of the Abbey at Beaulieu when it was destroyed.  How on earth did they manage this?  When we got there it was on mudflats.  You could walk a mile to it, catch the ferry from another town, up the river.

This coastline was badly destroyed during the February storms, and cleanup has been done.  So we bought a double ice cream, and sat in the car while the wind howled outside.

The swans shelted away from the wind, there is a groyne next to where we were parked, and people were out walking 

Marsh lands.  View to Hurst Castle

The wind was so strong it was difficult to hold the tablet to take a photo.  We drove back a different way, again through the New Forest, through Brockenhurst, and a small traffic jam, 

Shades of Norfolk Island, the calf was feeding on the road!

and then later went for dinner at a recommended pub about 6 miles away.

They had wifi, and I was able to load my 57 photos!  I was taken by the hanging on the wall.

This is a poacher's trap, used to trap those who are poaching sheep.  To mind was Edward Westlake, now that is something that he would have had to look out for.  What a gruesome trap.

 Tomorrow we are driving to Exeter.  Home of Westlakes and birthplace of Mudges.