New Forest Days Out: Buckler’s Hard’s Latest Exhibition

If you’re looking for something different to do in the New Forest this winter, Buckler’s Hard has just opened a new free exhibition showcasing finds from its latest archaeological dig. It’s a smart, interesting look at the village’s shipbuilding past - and a great excuse to explore the riverside before heading back to The Master Builder’s.

A Slipway With A Story To Tell

The excavation focused on the largest historic slipway at Buckler’s Hard, a place that once played a vital role in the shipyard’s day-to-day operations - the point where enormous ships were launched and where generations of shipwrights, craftspeople, and labourers shaped the timber and tools that helped define an era.

What the dig has uncovered is a remarkable collection of objects and fragments that bring to life those working days.

The Exhibition: A Closer Look at Buckler’s Hard Beneath the Surface

Now open in the Shipwrights Gallery, the latest free exhibition from The Buckler’s Hard Shipyard Trust brings together a curated selection of the dig’s discoveries - iron nails, staples, copper plate and nails, ceramics, glass, bottles, clay pipes, bones and even some more modern 20th debris from the time when the slipway was used in WW2 were all found during the three-week summer dig.

It’s a chance to glimpse the village in a different way - not just as a preserved historic site, but as a living, working shipyard. Whether you’re a history lover, a coastal walker, or simply someone who enjoys finding something unexpected on a winter afternoon, it’s an insightful addition to the Buckler’s Hard experience.

A Proud Moment for Our Team

What makes this exhibition especially meaningful for us at Woodford is that some of the Master Builder's team were able to get involved in the dig itself.

Rolling up their sleeves alongside the archaeologists, they helped uncover artefacts that now form part of the display - a small but incredibly special connection between the present-day life of the village and the layered history beneath it.

It’s not every day you can say you’ve helped unearth a piece of Buckler’s Hard, and even less often that you’ll then see it preserved and presented for visitors to enjoy. For us, it’s a proud reminder that this place continues to inspire curiosity, and community - just as it always has.

Plan Your Visit

The Buckler’s Hard archaeological dig exhibition is free to visit and is open daily in the Shipwrights Gallery. It’s running until mid-March, making it a perfect winter activity to pair with a Master Builder’s escape.

Discover more about The Dig Exhibition here.