Bucklers Hard

Today was very warm and sunny. After walking the dogs we went to Bucklers hard.
Bucklers Hard is part of the Beaulieu estate.It was an important Ship building Yard in the mid1700s and several of the ships that Nelson sailed on were built here.Now some of the cottages have been converted into a museum showing the vessels that were built here and also how the labourers lived.
There is a very small chapel, The Chapel of St Mary, which seats 40 people. Today there was a wedding here and afterwards the little chapel still had all the wedding flowers in it.All the kneeling pads were beautifully embroidered.
Although the Ship yard had declined by the middle of the 1800s as ships began to be made of Iron, Bucklers Hard was again in use during WW2 repairing and servicing motor torpedo boats.
It was also the home port of Sir Francis Chichester who in Gypsy Moth IV was the first person to complete a true solo navigation of the earth(1960s)
We finished our visit with a short cruise on the River Beaulieu cooling down with the breeze on the river.During the cruise we passed by Exbury gardens where we spent yesterday.
At home we had a BBQ to enjoy the evening sunshine.