Village Voice June July 19

Cornwallis Remembered
1819-2019
Preparations are
now well advanced
for the events
which will
commemorate the
bi-centenary of
Milford’s most
distinguished
resident Admiral Sir
William Cornwallis (1744-1819).
On the 8 th June our twelve week exhibition
will open at the St Barbe Museum and Art
Gallery. “Command of the Seas”! The Navy
and the New Forest against Napoleon” is
designed to show the part played by our local
admirals, William Cornwallis, Robert Man and
John Peyton, in defeating Napoleon.
Featuring items relating to our admirals on
loan from both national and private
collections, a highlight of the show will be
JMW Turner’s second sketch for the Battle of
Trafalgar, on loan from the Tate. The role of
the New Forest in supplying timber and other
materials to the local ship-builders will be
strongly featured.
Linking with the exhibition, we shall be
launching an Admirals' Heritage Trail with an
illustrated guide showing where to find our
important naval links with Georgian times
from Hurst to Calshot taking in Milford,
Lymington, Boldre, South Baddesley,
Buckler's Hard and Lepe."
On Friday 5 th July there will be a church
service conducted by the Bishop of
Basingstoke, and senior representatives from
Hampshire, the Royal Navy and naval
historical research will be attending. The
Cornwallis grave and memorial will be
rededicated and a new stained-glass window
commemorating all three admirals will be
blessed.
A two horse
post-chaise
with riders in
full costume
will visit the
village school
and then
proceed to
the church
where the
service will
be followed
by a
recreation of
the arrival of
the news of
Photo: Mike Thomas
Nelson's
death and victory at Trafalgar by post-chaise.
The post-chaise will then move to the village
green where between 3pm and 5pm there
will be a variety of themed entertainment,
live music, Royal Navy and Trafalgar Way
stands and refreshments provided by local
groups and Royal Navy Catering. Subject to
operational duties, it is hoped to have a Royal
Navy training boat of the P2000 Archer Class
in Lymington port over that week-end.
A Commemorative Dinner will be held on
Saturday 6th July 2019 in the Cornwallis Suite
of South Lawn Hotel, Milford (once the
property of Admiral Cornwallis) with a
leading naval historian as the guest speaker.
Cornwallis Remembered 1819-2019 is the
result of a collaboration of four
organisations: Milford-on-Sea Historical
Record Society, The 1805 Club, the New
Forest National Park Authority, the St Barbe
Museum and Art Gallery. Additional funding
has been provided by the National Lottery
Heritage Fund, Hampshire Archives Trust, the
Hampshire Field Club and Archaeological
Society, the Tate Gallery, local history
societies, local authorities and many
individual donations.
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