ld june july 22

ASPECTS OF LYMINGTON
In a regular series Aspects of Lymington, Ray
Mayes provides a miscellany of views of
Lymington – its people, buildings, history and
development, and relationship to the coast and
the New Forest. This month he poses the
question - is Lymington in danger of losing an
historic viewpoint?
Sir Harry and his Monument
Our little Georgian town of Lymington has two
iconic viewpoints.
The familiar one
looks west up the
gently sloping High
Street towards the
Parish Church of
St. Thomas with its
imposing tower
and cupola.
Look in the other direction, eastward downhill
over Lymington River and amongst the trees
above the Walhampton foreshore, lies the
Walhampton Monument - a 76ft (23m) granite
obelisk commemorating the life of Admiral Sir
Harry Burrard Neale.
16 September 2015 marked the 250 th
anniversary of the birth of Harry James Burrard,
as he was christened. After a glittering naval
career and his death in 1840, the monument at
Walhampton was erected in his memory,
funded by appreciative public subscription.
However, over the years the monument
deteriorated, becoming neglected and
overgrown; a New Forest naval hero faded in
history and became forgotten.
Fortunately, a small band of “Friends of Sir
Harry” (part of the Lymington Society – the
town’s civic society) recently determined to
restore the Walhampton site and resurrect the
Admiral’s memory. Today, they have achieved
these objectives magnificently, restoring the
whole site to its former glory. On a recent
beautiful sunny day, it was clear to me that the
whole site has become attractive again. The
whole Grade II* structure has been carefully
restored and site landscaping has been
comprehensively achieved by clearing
overgrown surroundings.
Interpretation signboards have done much to re
-establish the story and reputation of our naval
hero, making the monument an interesting
place to visit. It is an attraction for both New
Forest residents and visitors
alike. The monument (at SO41
5SE) is close to Walhampton
school in Monument Lane. From
Lymington it is an easy walk
across the river to Undershore Road.
Becoming Sir Harry
The story of the life and times of Admiral Sir
Harry Burrard Neale (1765-1840) is an
interesting one.
An early resident of Walhampton House now
the school nearby, Harry Burrard (as he was
then known) inherited the baronetcy of
Walhampton from his uncle, the first baronet, in
1791. On his marriage to Grace Elizabeth Neale
on 15 April 1795, Sir Harry added his wife’s
maiden name ‘Neale’ as a condition of becoming
heir to Robert Neale of Shaw House, Melksham.
Sir Harry Burrard Neale had a lifetime of Naval
and civic achievement and was to become a
politician, both local and national. By the age 30,
he was in command of HMS San Fiorenzo and in
1797 achieved national recognition helping to
resolve the great naval mutiny at the Nore
anchorage, in the Thames estuary.
Sir Harry had an active political life Lymington,
including becoming mayor and also MP of
Lymington for four periods before and after the
Reform Act between 1790 and 1835. He
retained the favour of the monarch, particularly
after the naval mutiny at the Nore, and on
several occasions entertained George III at
Walhampton. He maintained a close friendship
with the King, becoming Groom to the
Bedchamber.
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Is Lymington in danger of losing this iconic
viewpoint?
The Burrard Neale Monument site represents a
little piece of Lymington across the river in the
parish of Boldre. Indeed, recognising its
municipal Ray responsibility, Mayes is the author the Lymington of leaflets on & Historic
Pennington Lymington Town (three Council town (‘L&PTC’) trail walks) led and the the Blue
original Plaques Burrard Trail Neale (describing 250 project the stories restore behind the the
To advertise email: info@lymingtondirectory.co.uk, neglected or call site. 01590 ….. town’s 643969 13 Blue / 07801 Plaques). 562358