Bransgore Area Guide

Bransgore is a picturesque village, just over four miles North East of Christchurch and the coast. Sat on the Western edge of The New Forest National Park, visitors and locals have the choice between the peace and tranquillity of the New Forest on their doorstep and golden sandy beaches less than a 10 minute drive to the south.

Bransgore parish is large, taking in the neighbouring village of Thorney Hill, and the scattered hamlets of Waterditch, Hinton, Neacroft, Ripley and Godwinscroft. The village stands on the north bank of the River Mude.

The name comes from a combination of the Middle English 'gore' meaning a triangular plot of land, and the Saxon 'Bran', a proper name, so Bransgore means a triangular piece of land belonging to Bran. The plot of land is thought to be the area at the western end of Burnt House Lane.

An unfounded tradition says that the village name comes from a combination of 'brains' and 'gore' and refers to a bloody battle fought by King Alfred the Great near this spot. Indeed, so prevalent was the tale that the Ordnance Survey marked the site of a battle on their maps. Sadly, however, there is no truth to the tale, and there was no battle.

The village grew up in the 18th century. The first documented evidence of the names comes from the 1730s. In 1759 the village was called Bransgoer Common and by 1819 the name had evolved to become Bransgrove. Over the past two centuries, the ending 'grove' was changed to 'gore'.

The oldest buildings in the village reinforce its 18th-century origin. The thatched Three Tuns dates to the Georgian period, though it was altered following a 20th-century fire. At the crossroads in the village centre stands the village's other inn, The Crown.

Bransgore’s main High Street is small but offers an excellent selection of amenities and shops along with a cafe and three pubs, The Three Tuns, The Carpenters arms and The Crown, where the locals regularly meet and socialise.