Brockenhurst's first sign of inhabitation dates back to the Bronze Age nearly 4,000 years ago. There are many tumuli, burial mounds, that are all over the area. Those are pretty much the only sign of inhabitation for the next 3,000 years until 1066 when the Saxon period began. In 1079, Nova Forest was created by William the Conqueror for him to have a private hunting area. It is located to the southwest of Winchester, his capital.
The forest went down south to the Barton on Sea coast and west to what is currently Bournemouth. Lymington, which was nearby, was a thriving town in the 18th Century because of the presence of salt manufacturing coming from sea water. Lymington road had become a regular route and turnpike by the 1700s for mail coaches that went from the town to the north. During this time Brockenhurst's size grew immensely with many inns and dwellings being built on the main road.
Henry Thurston, who was a local resident who moved to London and made a fortune, left a bequest to set a school in the town in 1745. The school is located at the corner of the present day Mill Lane. Edward Morant bought the Brockenhurst House in 1770 with some of the vast wealth his family had form its Jamaican estates. He purchased the Elizabethan farmhouse for £6,400. He rebuilt it into a massive Georgian mansion and after adding avenues along with the purchase of surrounding lands the estate grew to over 3,000 acres.
The railway made its way to Brockenhurst in the 19th Century and a railway station was built which added a large amount of holiday travelers as well as more local residence coming into the town. During WWI the town was a prostration center for the troops that had been wounded in the area, especially those coming from New Zealand and India. Meerut Road was named after some of the Indian troops that fought in the war. This lead to two hospitals being built, one in Forest Park and the other in Balmer Lawn.
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