The Beaulieu Estate is re-introducing elm trees to the maritime village of Buckler’s Hard to compliment the popular attraction’s latest project a Woodland Walk, which has been co-ordinated by Lord Montagu’s daughter, Mary Montagu Scott.
Elm would have been used to build ships in the 18th century when Buckler’s Hard was a thriving shipyard. Ships for Admiral Lord Nelson’s Trafalgar fleet at Trafalgar were built at Buckler’s Hard.
The Woodland Walk features many of the tree species that helped to build Nelson’s Navy and tells you how they were used by the residents of Buckler’s Hard. The village became a shipyard due to its protected location, tidal access to the sea and ready supply of timber from the Beaulieu Estate and the New Forest. It required up to 2,000 loads, or 40 acres of 100 year-old trees, to make one 64-gun ship such as Nelson’s favourite warship, Agamemnon.
Elms used to be a common sight, not only on the Beaulieu Estate, but all around the UK but there are now very few areas left with native elm species. The three new disease resistant elms have been planted just outside the Woodland Walk as they need good light to thrive and should grow to height of 30 metres.