The historic town of Lymington offers plenty for the visitor to the New Forest. This colourful coastal town is an ancient seaport with a rich maritime history.
Situated on the west bank of the Lymington River, on the edge of the Solent, Lymington is a major yachting centre with three marinas.
The town began as an Anglo-Saxon village and is recorded in the Domesday Book as ‘Lentune’. From the Middle Ages and up to the 19th century, Lymington was well-known for its salt making and from the early 19th century a thriving ship building industry.
Much of the architecture you see today in Lymington is Georgian and Victorian. The High Street, which looks predominantly Georgian, is in fact made up of an eclectic mix of Georgian, Victorian, Art Deco with some traces of Medieval architecture.
At the top of the High Street sits the Church of St Thomas. A church has been at this location since the mid-thirteenth century and parts of the current church date back from the early thirteenth century. This Grade II Listed building was badly damaged during the English Civil War, when Puritans occupied it. Over subsequent centuries architectural additions have been added to the building including the tower and cupola. Within the church take a look at the magnificent glass doors and needlework.
With its strong maritime connections, it doesn’t come as a surprise to learn that Lymington was once famous for smuggling. The vicar of the Church of St Thomas once used to allow smugglers to store their contraband within the church’s tower!
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