Beaulieu River

The Beaulieu River (/ˈbjuːli/ (listen) BEW-lee), formerly known as the River Exe,[1] is a small river flowing through the New Forest in the county of Hampshire in southern England. The river is some 12 miles (19 km) long, of which the last 4 miles (6 km) are tidal. Unusually, the entire river, including its bed, is owned by Lord Montagu of Beaulieu.

Beaulieu River
The Beaulieu River at Longwater Lawn, near Lyndhurst
Location
CountryEngland
RegionHampshire
DistrictNew Forest
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationLyndhurst, Hampshire
 • coordinates50°52′47″N 1°34′55″W
Mouth 
 • location
Needs Ore Point, Hampshire
 • coordinates
50°46′16″N 1°23′30″W
Length20 km (12 mi)
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • leftBeaulieu Abbey Stream
 • rightHatchet Stream

Etymology

The current name, Beaulieu is French, meaning "beautiful place". The original name, Exe, is Brythonic, deriving from the Ancient British word *Iska meaning "fishes" or "fish-place" and cognate with the modern Welsh word Pysg (fishes).This derivation applies to many similarly named rivers throughout Britain including the Axe, Exe and Usk, with the names evolving local distinctions over the centuries.

Course

The Beaulieu River rises near Lyndhurst in the centre of the New Forest, and flows east and then south across the forest heaths to the village of Beaulieu. There the river becomes tidal and once drove a tide mill in the village. Below Beaulieu the tidal river continues to flow south-east through the Forest, passing the hamlet of Bucklers Hard and entering the Solent at Needs Ore. For its final kilometre, it is separated from The Solent by a raised area of salt marsh known as Gull Island.

Below Beaulieu village the river is navigable to small craft. Bucklers Hard was once a significant shipbuilding centre, building many wooden sailing ships, both merchant and naval, including Nelson's Agamemnon. Since 2000 the navigable channel at the entrance to the river has been marked by a lighthouse known as the Millennium Lighthouse or the Beaulieu River Beacon.[2][3]

Tributaries

The river has two main tributaries, the Beaulieu Abbey Stream to the left and the Hatchet Stream to the right. In addition there are a series of artificial lakes near the mouth of the river, known as the Black Lagoons.

Water quality

The water quality of the Beaulieu River was as follows in 2016:

SectionEcological
Status		Chemical
Status		Overall
Status		LengthCatchmentChannel
Beaulieu River[4] style="background: #ffff99; text-align: center;" | Moderate style="background: #7af58a; text-align: center;" | Good style="background: #ffff99; text-align: center;" | Moderate 20.0 km (12.4 mi) 3.075 km2 (1.187 sq mi) Heavily modified
Hatchet Stream[5] style="background: #ffff99; text-align: center;" | Moderate style="background: #7af58a; text-align: center;" | Good style="background: #ffff99; text-align: center;" | Moderate 7.916 km (4.919 mi) 9.523 km2 (3.677 sq mi) Heavily modified
Beaulieu Abbey Stream[6] style="background: #ffff99; text-align: center;" | Moderate style="background: #7af58a; text-align: center;" | Good style="background: #ffff99; text-align: center;" | Moderate 2.535 km (1.575 mi) 2.253 km2 (0.870 sq mi) Heavily modified
Black Lagoons[7] style="background: #7af58a; text-align: center;" | Good style="background: #7af58a; text-align: center;" | Good style="background: #7af58a; text-align: center;" | Good 0.119 km2 (0.046 sq mi) Artificial

Film appearances

The river was used as a backdrop for some scenes of the 1966 film A Man for All Seasons – the tree-lined waters were used to portray the 16th century River Thames.[8]

  • The infant river upstream from Dunces Arch
  • The river passes beneath the railway, north of Fulliford Passage
  • Bend in the river near Pottern Ford
  • Alder trees in the river north of Fawley Ford
  • The Mill Dam at Beaulieu
  • The upper tidal limit of the river
  • The river between Beaulieu and Bucklers Hard
  • The river at Bucklers Hard
  • A yacht entering the river from the Solent
  • Millennium Lighthouse at the mouth of the river
gollark: Also less heavy.
gollark: ~play asking alexandria - into the fire
gollark: There. That is a less heavy thing.
gollark: ~play from ashes to new - panic
gollark: My collection of "less heavy things" is limited.

References
  1. Lewis, S. (1848) A Topographical Dictionary of England: Southampton County in British History Online
  2. Davison, Steve (2012). Walking in the New Forest: 30 Walks in the New Forest National Park. Cicerone Press Limited. p. 195. ISBN 9781849657075.
  3. "60 years in the New Forest". New Forest National Park Authority. Archived from the original on 8 September 2011. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  4. "Beaulieu River". Catchment Data Explorer. Environment Agency.
  5. "Hatchet Stream". Catchment Data Explorer. Environment Agency.
  6. "Beaulieu Abbey Stream". Catchment Data Explorer. Environment Agency.
  7. "Black Lagoons". Catchment Data Explorer. Environment Agency.
  8. Gene Brown (1984) The New York Times Encyclopedia of Film: 1964-1968, ISBN 0812910532

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