Why move to Lymington

Above: Lymington

Above: The St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery

Above: The Ship Inn

Above: Lymington

If you’re a sailor, Lymington is heaven, but there are plenty of reasons for landlubbers to decide that this is where they should make their home.
For architecture alone, it is an outstanding town, with a wealth of gorgeous Georgian facades down the steep High Street and through cobbled Quay Street to the harbour.
Walk this route and you’re bound to be captivated by the truly beautiful buildings –  and tempted by some very alluring and individual shops.
For Lymington really does combine the best of the old and new. There are traditional, individual retailers beside a very good range of higher-end national names – and that’s not to mention Lymington’s amazing market.
Every Saturday the High Street is crammed full of stalls selling an enormous variety of goods, from local produce to clothes and antiques. It is a lively, colourful and very sociable market loved by both residents and visitors.
Then there are the arts. Lymington is home to the St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery, in New Street, just steps from the High Street. As well as telling the history of the town and the New Forest, it hosts events and exhibitions throughout the year.

Ancient Lymington 
Lymington has been a popular place to live for a very long time. Thousands of years ago, people left behind evidence of Neolithic and Bronze Age settlements at Buckland Rings. The Normans developed the town’s sea salt industry and one of the old salt pans is still in use today in the summer months, for swimming and boating.
Its situation on the southernmost edge of the New Forest meant that Lymington was the ideal location for using local oak in shipbuilding and today this industry continues, mostly for the leisure market.
The Royal Lymington Yacht Club is thought to be the largest RYA affiliated club in the world. But if your only interest in boats is how quickly a ferry can take you to the Isle of Wight, this is the place to be, with crossing times the fastest from the mainland and controversial new larger ferries due to be brought into service soon.
Former residents include the occult thriller writer Dennis Wheatley who left behind a crinkle-crankle wall, which he built at his home in Church Lane. Stable and sun-attracting, it is rare to see these outside East Anglia, although they are very practical for growing espalier
fruit bushes.
With a quayside to stroll and the Solent Way running through the town, Lymington also appeals to those who enjoy the open air. Close by are the Lymington and Keyhaven Nature Reserves, with valuable plant and wild life and terrific walking.
Lymington is a town which attracts a wide spectrum of residents and new development in and around its centre is attracting a great deal of interest. If you decide to take a look, you will see why.

On the move

Property prices: Land Registry figures for average house prices, July-Sept 2007: Average £376,791; detached £500,674; semi-detached £278,873; terraced £284,880; flats £221,875.
Ups: It’s a beautiful town, with plenty going on and excellent facilities.
Downs: This is reflected in the price of property. It is a dozen miles from the nearest motorway.
The best areas to buy: Julian Caldwell, who founded independent estate agents Caldwell’s with his brother Jeremy, says: “There is a lot of very nice new development going on at places like Abbots Brook. If you are after a Georgian house, then Captain’s Row is the place to look and there are older, more traditional family homes in the Southampton Road, Rookes Lane, Broad Lane and Waterford Lane areas.”
Richard Hiller and Victoria Delville-Cutts of Woolley and Wallis estate agents explain what bought them to the town: “The reasons that bought us to Lymington are we believe the same reasons any one would want to move here. It’s a vibrant, established costal town, forward looking with enviable yachting and equestrian opportunities. This eclectic mix of town, coast and country delivers an exciting place to live and work.” 
On the market: John D Wood & Co’s Lymington office have a detached, six-bedroom family home in woodland a mile from the town centre at £1.3 million, while Caldwells are offering a brand new five-bedroom detached home, in a luxury gated development just off the High Street, at £1.2 million. Paul Jackson of Lymington have a six-bedroom detached family home within a short walk of the marina and yacht clubs at £895,000 while Bishop Pyke of Lymington are offering a three-floor townhouse with four bedrooms and separate one-bedroom cottage in the rear garden at £590,000.

Need to know

What’s commuting like? There are regular trains to Brockenhurst, which has direct links to Bournemouth and Waterloo. It’s a scenic drive across the New Forest to link with the A31 and M27 and Bournemouth and Poole are easily accessible. Ferries run from Lymington to Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight 25 times a day, taking only 30 minutes.
Schools: Ballard School in nearby New Milton is an independent mixed for pupils from five to 16. A dozen miles away, in Ringwood, is another mixed independent, Moyles Court School for youngsters from three to 16. Local state primary schools are good. The nearest sixth-form is at The Arnewood School in
New Milton.

Out and about

Amenities: If you’re a sailor, this is the place for you and your boat. But it’s equally enjoyable if you like the countryside and want to ride, walk or cycle in the New Forest and enjoy the arts at the St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery. There’s no need to travel any further than the town centre for your shopping.
Shops/restaurants: There are a plethora of terrific individual retailers, including fashionable boutiques stocking designer clothing – look out for Thirty Three, a superb dress shop at 33 High Street, shoes and boots from Aikaterini Adraskela at 129 High Street. For contemporary interiors and gifts head to Pod Interiors at 15 St Thomas Street.
Among many quality restaurants is the Stanwell House Hotel on the High Street (it’s where General Wolfe spent his last night on English soil). Or if you are craving a coffee and fabulous food items, go to the Maison Cuisine delicatessen and coffee shop in Angel Courtyard.
What to do at the weekend: Sail, explore Lymington and Keyhaven Nature Reserve, shop at the Saturday morning market, swim in the open air saltern in Bath Road during the summer months, stroll the Solent Way and admire the Lymington River while sitting with a drink outside the Ship Inn.