Cornwallis Remembered: bi-centenary of the death of Admiral Sir William Cornwallis
New Forest commemorating Milford-on-Sea's distinguished resident who prevented an invasion of England.
This weekend is the bi-centenary of the death of Admiral Sir William Cornwallis, who along with Rear Admiral John Peyton and Admiral Robert Man, resided in Milford on Sea.
The 5th July 2019 marks the bi-centenary of the death of Admiral the Hon Sir William Cornwallis, one of England’s most renowned admirals. He settled in Milford in 1800 shortly before being appointed Commander in Chief of the Channel Fleet in 1801 and from 1803-1806.
It was Admiral William Cornwallis, Commander in Chief of the Channel Fleet, who thwarted the French invasion threat by blocading the French Fleet in Brest and other ports during the Battle of Trafalgar and decided on the necessity of creating and dispatching to Spanish waters the nucleus of that fleet that his friend Nelson was to command at Trafalgar - in turn preventing an invasion of England.
This action, in the face of major logistical and strategic difficulties and through two winters of unusually severe weather even for the seas off the coasts of Brittany, secured his reputation as one of the greatest admirals of the Royal Navy, respected by his fellow officers, loved by his men, and revered by Nelson. The achievement of preventing a major invasion stands alongside the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 and the Battle of Britain in 1940 in the annals of this country.
Cornwallis Remembered Celebrations
The bi-centenary is being celebrated in a number of ways around Lymington, Milford on Sea and the New Forest.
Milford-on-Sea Historical Record Society has published a commemorative Bicentenary Edition of its Occasional Magazine with articles on Cornwallis, Man and Peyton.
At St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery in Lymington the exhibition "Command of the Seas: the Navy and the New Forest against Napoleon" focuses on the important contribution made by the three Admirals from the New Forest during the naval battles of the period and running up to the defeat of Napoleon's fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar. The exhibition continues until the end of August.
A new 'Admiral's Heritage trail' between Milford-on-Sea and Buckler’s Hard, taking in Lymington, Boldre and South Baddesley has been launched, copies of The Admiral's Heritage Trail (with map illustrated by local artist Shaun Stevens) are free and available from the newsagent shops in Milford on Sea as well as the Parish Council offices.
Friday 5 July Celebrations
Lymington Harbour will be playing host to the Royal Navy on the afternoon of Friday 5th July when Royal Navy Patrol ship, HMS Trumpeter, visits.
HMS Trumpeter visiting Lymington
HMS Trumpeter is a P2000 Archer Class patrol ship. These small vessels are ideally crafted to navigate the shallow waters of ports like Lymington. They are used in various roles including maritime protection, but HMS Trumpeter is one of fourteen which are attached to universities around the United Kingdom to train Royal Navy officers of the future.
Commemoration Service at All Saints Church, Milford-on-Sea - invitation only
Whilst in port, HMS Trumpeter's commanding officer, Lieutenant David Vail RN, will be attending a service at All Saints Church, Milford-on-Sea commemorating three admirals buried at Milford who made significant contributions to the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte over two hundred years ago. The service will be held on 5th July, the bi-centenary of the death of the most famous of these, Admiral Sir William Cornwallis, and will include the unveiling of a new stained-glass window dedicated to all three admirals.
Barry Jolly, a Trustee of Milford-on-Sea Historical Record Society which has led the programme, comments, “We are delighted to have had the enthusiastic support of the Royal Navy along with so many other organisations during the three years of planning that has gone into the Cornwallis Remembered programme. We have engaged in important research which has been published in national journals and underpins both the exhibition - Command of the Seas: The Navy and the New Forest Against Napoleon – running through the summer at St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery and a new admirals heritage trail from Milford across to Bucklers Hard.”
Historical celebration of the news from Trafalgar on Milford Village Green - around 3pm until 5pm - all welcome
In Milford Village there will be a reconstruction of the news from the Battle of Trafalgar being delivered by two horse post-chaise with riders in full costume.
The post-chaise and riders will arrive on the the village green around 3pm, after which there will be a variety of themed entertainment, live music, Royal Navy and Trafalgar Way stands and refreshments provided by local village groups including the Primary School and Royal Navy Catering. All are welcome!
Step aboard HMS Pickle in Lymington on 5 and 6 July!
HMS Pickle is a recreation of the schooner that delivered the news of Napoleon's defeat at the Battle of Trafalgar and the death of Nelson.
The original HMS Pickle sank off the Spanish port of Cadiz three years after the 1805 battle, however, the new Pickle is an exact copy immortalised by its role at Trafalgar. The vessel is the culmination of a painstaking two-year restoration project that Mr Nicholson embarked on after salvaging a wrecked vessel modelled on the Bermuda ship from the waters off Gibraltar.
This stunning boat will be moored on the Harbour Master's Pontoon in Lymington on Friday 5 and Saturday 6 July.
You are invited on board Pickle between 10-12 and 2-4 to explore this marvellous vessel and learn about her adventures at sea from the crew, who will be dressed in full costume including their commanding officer, Lieutenant Laponetiere. Between 12-2- once the crew have enjoyed their ship's biscuits - they will re-enact a moment in history... maybe raise the sails or even set off a cannon or two!
Commemorative Dinner at South Lawn Hotel
A Commemorative Dinner will be held on Saturday 6th July 2019 in the Cornwallis Suite of South Lawn Hotel, Milford with a leading naval historian as the guest speaker. Ticketed Event.
HMS Pickle at Buckler's Hard on 13 and 14 July
HMS Pickle will also be at Buckler's Hard on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 July, giving you anoher opportunity to take a tour and chat to her crew about what life was like in Nelson's Navy.
On Sunday 14 July, the Portsmouth Model Boat Display Team will pay tribute to HMS Pickle with a remote control model boat display featuring pyrotechnics! See miniature sailing ships take to the water and fire their canons, and then see incredible models up close in a static display.
Cornwallis, Whitby and Peyton: Milford's three admirals
Colten Care’s Linden House in Lymington, produced a feast of cakes festooned with sprinkles and sweets for the Alzheimer’s Society’s Your Cupcake Day campaign, raising awareness of dementia.
Tracy Logan is one of Colten Care’s Admiral Nurses; specialist dementia care nurses who give expert practical, clinical and emotional support to families facing the challenges of dementia.
Owners of problematic pets headed for helpful advice and tips at the Dog House Behavioural Stage, where top experts explored typical issues that happen within the home such as separation anxiety. Further expert advice on dog health was also provided from TV’s Vet on the Hill Dr Scott Miller.
Fuelling the day was a host of artisan food and drink stalls. Doggies enjoyed a lip-smacking smorgasbord of treats such as specialist pet ice-cream, biltong and personalised biscuits. While The Pupcake Princess served dog doughnuts and other baked delights from her vintage caravan, which also doubled up as a cute photo backdrop for the click-happy #dogsofinstagram. The humans, meanwhile, ate and drank their way through gourmet pizza, fishcakes, squid (excellent), craft gin and more from local and carefully-curated suppliers.
Dogstival Founders, Domine and Richard Nowell commented: “We are absolutely delighted with our first ever Dogstival event. It was a fantastic turnout of lovely, well-behaved dogs and the event itself exceeded all our expectations. We set out to create a dog’s best day ever and judging by all the waggy-tailed departures at the end of each day, we definitely achieved our goal.”
Forest Forge Theatre Company
School holidays can be soul-destroying for parents whose children have not yet reached school age as many clubs, drop ins and classes only happen in term time. Thankfully the following are on during half term to help you retain some structure and sanity!
This weekend, 
The Dogstival main arena, hosted by 
The Dogstival ‘Lounge’ will host a range of brilliantly insightful and thought provoking guest speakers across the weekend, with the aim of helping everyone learn and understand a bit more about the canine world and environment around us.
Meanwhile the Dog House Behaviour Stage will bring to life training issues, highlighting different life stages of dogs and common problems that may occur during these life stages. Common breed-specific behavioural issues will be discussed and how to prevent and tackle these in everyday life.
And with the involvement of the schools, this was another positive example of the mixing and mingling of the very young with the elderly, to the pleasure and benefit of all. (See also 
After checking Dogstival off your to-do list, why not explore one of the many local dog-friendly destinations. During your stay, visit Hurst Castle and enjoy the fantastic views of the Isle of Wight. There is nowhere off limits for your dog here, they can even hop on the ferry. Dogs are welcome to visit the magical 200 acres of Exbury Gardens, as well as the serene grounds and gardens of Beaulieu and 18th century shipbuilding village, Buckler’s Hard.
The peak periods for tick feeding are in late spring and early summer (April - July) and to a lesser extent in the autumn (September - October). There may also be a risk of tick bites at other times of the year if the weather is mild.
Don’t panic. Remove the tick as soon as possible.
Both the school children and Linden House residents thoroughly enjoyed the 'Sweet Journey' experience, the children learned lots about confectionary of the past, whilst the Linden House residents had a chance to reminisce about the sweets they enjoyed in their earlier years. 
