Emery Down

Emery Down is recorded as Emerichdon in 1376, and Emeryesdowne in 1490.^[4] The "Emmory" family is recorded here in 1389.^[4] The surname is of French origin.^[4]

The homes of charcoal burners and agricultural labourers were in Silver Street in Emery Down.^[5] Here was born, in 1840, the New Forest "snake catcher" Brusher Mills, who lived here until at least 1861.^[6]

A major benefactor of Emery Down was Admiral Frederick Moore Boultbee, who lived here between 1856 and his death in 1876.^[7] Boultbee paid for the village church, Christ Church, which was designed by William Butterfield, and built in 1864.^[7] Boultbee lived with his niece Charlotte in a thatched cottage known as The Cottage, which before the 19th century had been an inn, The Running Horse.^[7] After Charlotte's death in 1896, The Cottage became the vicarage, and is now a private home.^[7]

Boultbee was also the benefactor for the village school, opened in 1865 and extended in 1885.^[7] The school operated until 1950.^[7] Boultbee also paid for the five alms houses, known as Boultbee Cottages,^[8] opposite the school.^[7] Designed by William Butterfield, they were built in 1871 and occupied by elderly people of the parish.^[8]

The New Forest Inn, formerly the New Inn, dates back to at least the first half of the 19th century.^[7] The captain of the Titanic, Edward Smith, spent his final night on British shores at the pub before he set sail on the ship the next day.^[9]

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stayed in Emery Down for a year from Easter 1889, while researching his novel The White Company and was frequently seen walking around the village.^[9]

Northerwood House is a Grade II listed Regency mansion, attributed to John Nash.^[10] The house was turned into flats in the 1970s.^[11]

Emery Down’s village hall was constructed in the 1920s by Burnett & Sons.^[11]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Emery Down.

• Emery Down Telephone Kiosk Archived 12 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine
• Emery Down, New Forest Explorers Guide