A Cultural Escape in the New Forest: Art, Literature and Quiet Inspiration

The New Forest has been muse for creativity for as long as we know, boasting many literary connections including Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice’, inspired by the real, Alice Pleasance Liddell, who moved into the area through marriage in 1880. Furthermore, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, famed for his Sherlock Holmes novels, found great inspiration in the New Forest. He even stayed at our Beaulieu hotel whilst writing and researching his book ‘The White Company’.

The miles of far-reaching views across vast heathland, winding paths through ancient trees and dappled light offering silhouettes of our friends, the New Forest ponies; this is why the New Forest landscape has been a masterful muse for decades. The perfect spot for nature writing, photography and drawing.

A break at our Beaulieu hotel deserves some unstructured time to sit and sketch or to wander for mindful contemplation. Deliberate moments of quiet, from somewhere in our very own country garden, the perfect place to sit with a coffee on a spring morning while you listen to the birds, to riverside walks to Buckler’s Hard Maritime Museum – a preserved 18th-century shipbuilding village on the Beaulieu River. There is a creative space or outlet for kind of visitor here. And the more you look the more you will see…

Perhaps you’d enjoy an afternoon spent at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu. Admission includes all attractions, which means you can visit its impressive collection of more than 280 vehicles and motoring memorabilia but you can also meander around Palace House, through the beautiful grounds and gardens and sit peacefully at the Abbey; the conserved ruins of a once vast medieval abbey.

Whilst you’re there, don’t miss a visit to the Clock House, the UK’s first dedicated Soviet Russian art gallery. Partnering with the Art Russe Foundation, the collection presents an assortment of late 19th- and 20th-century paintings and sculptures —an unexpected and compelling juxtaposition against the New Forest landscape.

If art moves you, during your weekend break, make time to explore some of our local galleries for pieces that speak of the seasons, coastal horizons and heritage of the New Forest.

• In Lymington, the St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery blends local history in the form of permanent museum displays, with seasonal exhibits from local, regional and nationally recognised artists.
• In nearby Lyndhurst, visit the small but special New Forest Heritage Centre is a hub for seasonal displays, wildlife photography and landscape paintings.
• In Sway, discover the SPUD Art Gallery and Creative Hub, with an ever-evolving exhibition programme and events, including their Open exhibition and annual festival of artists and amateurs, WINGS.

The New Forest is a special place from which you can take home memories and experiences rather than things. Our ancient woodland is the backdrop to stories and performances new and old. The Forest Forge Theatre, based in Ringwood, is inspired by folk tales of the New Forest.

Celebrating 45 years of storytelling, their upcoming event, ‘Tales from the Forge’ will present professional theatre alongside the work of our participation groups; a celebration of local talent, unexpected pop-up performances and creative activities for all ages.’ Book now.

Inspired by the forest – this is just it; we are all inspired by the forest. It is everything it is today because of its history and heritage. It’s a living, working landscape that’s been shaped by the humans and animals that have come before, and the ones that live here now. It’s an ancient, natural place that is ever-evolving but always respectful of its story.

Since William the Conqueror declared it a royal hunting ground, it’s been protected and despite the years that have been, we are still conserving and caring for it today.

Its beauty is the byproduct of this protection, and it’s why it feels so special to everyone who visits, not only for the benefits that nature brings mind and body but for the intellectual and creative enrichment.

Our hotel’s layered history is just a small part of the New Forest’s story but one we are proud of. Our history is a big part of what makes our Beaulieu hotel so special. We’ve been part of the local community, with an Inn on the site since the 16th Century and will continue to build upon that reputation and celebration of the spirit of community.

For many of our guests, whether they’re history lovers, art enthusiasts, or couples looking for a unique escape, our hotel is the perfect base; a home from home from which they can discover, delve deeper and fall in love with everything that makes The New Forest such a special place.