New Milton is a market town and civil parish in the New Forest district, in southwest Hampshire, England.

[3] The most important of these were the Chaucombe (or Chalcombe) family, who were probably the first people to build a church in Milton in the mid 13th century.

[3] Another estate called "Gore" appeared by the 15th century,[3] and still survives (partially) as a farm to the west of the town.

Excavations of these earthworks in 1956 revealed a series of peasant enclosures and hut remains dating from the 9th to the 12th century, but no evidence of a manorial farmstead was found.

[5] The parish church of Milton is dedicated to Mary Magdalene and consists of a chancel with vestry, a nave and a western tower.

[3] In 1835, a Church of England National School was founded on an island of land near the village green,[6] where children were taught until just after World War I.

[8] The location of the village on the main Christchurch to Lymington road (now the A337) meant that there were two coaching inns - The Wheatsheaf and The George - the former of which is still operating.

It was in this context that Frederick Marryat, author of The Children of the New Forest, was sent on patrol here as a young naval lieutenant in 1821, to watch over traffic from the sheltered Christchurch Bay area.

It also had an army hospital which co-served unwell American airmen based at the nearby airfields at Lymington and Holmsley.

Bricks can be purchased for inscription and insertion into the wall of the Memorial Room, which stands to the left of the front door and contains mementos saved from the original building, which was destroyed by fire in the 1970s.

During the First World War, Barton Court Hotel became a convalescent home for Indian servicemen and this is commemorated by an obelisk in the village.

Today Ashley is effectively a suburb of New Milton, albeit with its own shops, churches, and primary schools.

It hosts a wide range of performances, including multi-genre music, theatre, comedy, dance, films, literature - as well as putting on an array of activities and workshops for people in the community of all ages.

The Memorial Centre also hosts various activities, including painting, dancing, indoor bowls, yoga, model car racing, and the Decorative and Fine Arts Society.

The 2010s formed Friends group is promoting involvement of local schools and businesses and is currently refurbishing the centre to make it more attractive to hirers.

[20] New Milton railway station is located on the South West Main Line from London Waterloo to Weymouth.