The village, particularly the Jolly Sailor pub and the Elephant Boatyard, were used as the primary filming venue for the 1980s BBC TV soap opera Howards' Way.

[6] Bursledon's waterside position and woodland surroundings made it a natural location for building wooden ships.

[6] George Parsons's Bursledon shipyard built a number of naval ships from 1778 to 1807, when he moved to Warsash at the mouth of the River Hamble; this included HMS Elephant launched in 1786, which carried Nelson to the Battle of Copenhagen.

Due to increased traffic, in 1933-5 the old wooden bridge was replaced with the present three-span concrete structure.

[2] Notable people from Bursledon include: According to local legend, the old Victorian bridge over the railway line on Coal Park Lane is haunted by the ghost of Polly Crook whose love of distilled apple cider and clay pipe caused her to accidentally ignite herself on this spot.