Exhibitions in our Gallery

Free exhibition in the Shipwrights Gallery – the building at the bottom of the village opposite the Master Builders Hotel.

Open everyday 9.30 – 5pm.

This free exhibition will be exploring the impact of the Second World War on the Beaulieu River and Estate.

Before the war, the Beaulieu River was a quiet, working waterway. But once it was requisitioned for naval use, it became part of a much bigger story, one that played out on hidden river banks, a temporary airfield, and local properties. Suddenly the area witnessed an extraordinary increase in activity, with craft moving in and out of the river, shore facilities adapted, and the estate drawn into the urgent demands of wartime Britain.

The threat of invasion also reshaped local life. Beaulieu village itself was prepared as part of the wider defensive landscape, with measures designed to slow, funnel, and disrupt any enemy advance. As the war progressed and preparations for D-Day gathered pace, the estate took on new roles. Training intensified, secrecy tightened, and the river became a setting for experiments and trials linked to the coming assault on occupied Europe. Elements connected to the Mulberry Harbour story were constructed locally, while Buckler’s Hard’s historic shipyard pivoted to wartime production, turning its skills to the building of vital naval vessels.

The exhibition is curated by Marc Heighway and Mary Montagu-Scott