A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE OLD STATION TEA ROOMS, HOLMSLEY. INCLUDING A GUIDED WALK ALONG THE "OLD ROAD"

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The line was a popular one for many years, but the increase in car ownership and the rise of Bournemouth as a destination meant that the line was only lightly used even before the Beeching Cuts of 1964 which saw the line close for good. I think we had two weeks' notice and that was by a piece of A4 paper through the door, where as in the past Hampshire County Council communicated with us directly. See our Facebook page for Special Offers, announcements and for updates on what’s going on at The Old Station House Tea Room Holmsley, you can also follow us on Facebook – look for the username facebook.

The Old Station Tea Rooms Holmsley

Edward VII and his mistress, Lillie Langtry, were regular visitors to this station as it was the nearest one to Bournemouth, where they had their secret 'love nest' from 1877 to 1880. The land had been bought by the King, the house designed by Lillie, and it still has the magnificent dining hall she created, with a minstrels gallery inscribed with the words, "They say. For me and the business here, when we get to Mother's Day it means we have survived another year because the winter is quiet. These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience – the local community. It used to have a railway line, now long since gone, which provides an easy route for a walk, one in which you can still see the old railway bridges and platforms at various places.As it’s part of the New Forest, you can change your walk at almost any point, to make it longer or shorter. Go for a more formal affair in the gardens of this plush hotel in Beaulieu – hailed as one of the prettiest villages in the New Forest. Its winding route, taking in local market towns, earned it the name “The Corkscrew”, something is is still known as today. As the name suggests, these tearooms were once a railway station which was last in use back in the 1960’s.

Tea Rooms | Burley - Facebook The Old Station Tea Rooms | Burley - Facebook

In the late 1800’s the eldest son of Queen Victoria, Prince Edward, frequently disembarked at Holmsley with his then mistress, Lillie Langtry, enroute to their exclusive residence in Bournemouth. Much of the route is over open heathland characterised by a fine mix of heather; gorse; bracken; invading birch and ancient, once-coppiced hollies. The line went via Ringwood and Wimbourne, with the nearest station to Bournemouth being Holmsley (then known as Christchurch Road). This 3¼ mile walk (a little over 5 kilometres) features much relatively level ground with few significant gradients.

Today long stretches of the track bed have been retained as walking and cycling routes and the old station at Holmsley is a popular tea room. Foolishly, I hadn’t checked to see if the tearooms was dog friendly (which it isn’t inside) so as we approached in the rain, I was a little worried that we’d be sitting outside in the rain, eating wet scones. A tea, coffee, cocktail, gin, wine, champagne list take up most of the menu, with just the offering of a sweet cream tea, there are no savoury options here. By a ‘good’ one, we mean it doesn’t always have to come on huge cakes stands with all the trimmings of obligatory finger sandwiches, cupcakes, and tea lists as long as your arm. We wanted to park up somewhere in the New Forest, walk the Old Station Tearooms in Holmsley, eat cake and then walk back to the car.

Tea rooms at Holmsley suffers from A35 bridge closure Tea rooms at Holmsley suffers from A35 bridge closure

In May 1944, with preparations for the D-day landings, Eisenhower and senior government officials were frequently seen. We all understand it is work that needs doing and it is for the greater good but we have not been able to plan or have an understanding of what is going ahead," said Mr Jensen. Heathland wildlife hereabouts is of national importance – look out for tiny Dartford warblers; noisy, conspicuous stonechats; small groups of chattering linnets and many other wild birds. Along the route is the historic station house of Holmsley, where you can dine in the waiting room where previous visitors have included Kaiser Wilhelm, Edward VII with his mistress Lillie Langtrey and General Eisenhower. It’s not at all stuffy; the setting is refined country luxury where attentive staff and a relaxed ambience enhance an indulgent afternoon.The business owner, who employees six full-time and around half a dozen part-time staff, said Mother's Day was the busiest day in the year. I had a plan to refurbish inside and an idea for improving the building but I can't do it now because all the money is going on just surviving a period of three months with no trade. It was located where the line met the A35, the main route from Christchurch to Southampton, and referred to (until 1894) as Christchurch Road.

Station Tea Rooms Holmsley History – The Old Station Tea Rooms Holmsley

It wasn’t the one on the map as I took a wrong turn and carried on the road round to the right in Burley, rather than making a left. The café/restaurant is on the cliff top – close to Highcliffe Castle, and next to a path leading down to the beach.The great thing about walking an old railway line is that there is no need to spend your time peering at a map - you just follow the path safe in the knowledge that you won't be missing any hard-to-spot turnings or obscure paths off it.