Part of the 9000 acre Beaulieu estate. The original hamlet (called Montagu Town) was built by the 2nd Duke of Montagu in the 18th century as a free port for trade
with the West Indies. British naval vessels, including many of Admiral Nelson's fleet, were built here using timber from the New Forest. Shipbuilding declined in
the 19th century, though it saw much activity during World War II, building motor torpedo boats. The river was a base for hundreds of landing craft for the Normandy
invasion. Today the hamlet concentrates on tourism, with a small maritime museum and a modern yachting marina.