Events & Exhibitions
Current Exhibition
Outside Inside, Unthreading The Carnival
Friday 9th January 2026 to Sunday 1st March 2026
Artist Deborah Birch presents an installation of textile masks reflecting on her Romani heritage and connections to the New Forest.
Stitching, for Deborah, becomes both method and metaphor, echoing its language, such as ‘spinning a yarn’ or ‘unravelling a story’, through which narratives are created, challenged, and remade. Viewers are invited to reflect on their own place both behind and before the mask.
2026 Calendar of Local History Talks and Events
Throughout the year the many local history groups in the New Forest meet to learn about our history through a series of talks given by historians and experts who have undertaken research on a wide range of topics. All talks are open to the public and a small charge is made to cover room hire and expenses.
If you know of any other talks on any subject relating to the history of the New Forest please let us know at: library@newforestheritage.org.uk and we will add them to our calendar.
Weekly Sessions
Memory Works Dementia group
Wednesdays 2.00pm - 3.00pm
CST helps people living with mild to moderate dementia maximise cognition, independence, and wellbeing. The sessions will provide mental and memory stimulation, allowing participants to experience the learning process once again. CST is a group approach and builds self-esteem and confidence to join conversations and share interests. Some sessions will use images and items from our heritage collection. Carers will be able to enjoy a cuppa in our café and a chance to share their ups and downs.
Historic New Forest Businesses Exhibition
Friday 6th March 2026 to Monday 27th April 2026
In collaboration with the New Forest Business Partnership, we will be celebrating 12 long-established New Forest businesses using material from their own archives selected and designed by a local designer.
Spring Family Lino Printing Fun!
Tuesday 31st March 2026 10.30am – 12.30pm
Join Kate and get creative with printmaking! Carve a spring picture into soft, easy-carve lino, then roll on bright, colourful inks to make fantastic prints inspired by the season.
It’s a hands-on, creative workshop for families — and you can take your lino block home to keep printing long after the session ends!
Good to know:
Suitable for children aged 8 and over
Children must be accompanied by an adult
We’ll be using sharp lino-cutting tools, so adults and kids will work together
Come along and make something bright and bold for spring!
Folklore Exhibition
Saturday 2nd May 2026 to Sunday 31st May 2026
Amidst a national ‘folklore revival’ and increasing interest in New Forest stories and legend, New Forest Marque and the New Forest Cultural Council will be exploring this aspect of the past, with local makers and creatives displaying and selling their folklore-inspired work.
Brockenhurst College Student Exhibition
Saturday 13th June 2026 to Sunday 28th June 2026
Each year we invite Level 3 BTEC Art & Design students from Brockenhurst College to have the opportunity to exhibit their final year projects in our gallery. Several months before, the students are introduced to a variety of objects and images from our library and collection to inspire their chosen pieces.
Lumberjills in The New Forest
Friday 3rd July 2026 to Monday 8th August 2026
Working with author and expert, Joanna Foate, and Forestry England, we will be telling the national story of women in forestry during WW2 with a focus on lumberjilling in the New Forest.
Spring Family Lino Printing Fun!
Tuesday 28th July 2026 10.30am – 12.30pm
Get creative with Kate and discover the magic of printmaking! You’ll carve your own design into soft, easy-carve lino, roll on bright, colourful inks, and print your very own artwork to take home.
It’s messy, creative, and loads of fun — and the best part is you can keep your lino block to carry on printing at home!
For families:
Suitable for children aged 8 and up
Children must come with an adult
We’ll be using sharp tools, so grown-ups and kids will work together
Come and make something awesome together this summer!
Spring Family Lino Printing Fun!
Tuesday 4th August 2026 10.30am – 12.30pm
Get creative with Kate and discover the magic of printmaking! You’ll carve your own design into soft, easy-carve lino, roll on bright, colourful inks, and print your very own artwork to take home.
It’s messy, creative, and loads of fun — and the best part is you can keep your lino block to carry on printing at home!
For families:
Suitable for children aged 8 and up
Children must come with an adult
We’ll be using sharp tools, so grown-ups and kids will work together
Come and make something awesome together this summer!
Hampshire Open Studios/New Forest Marque Inspired
Saturday 22nd August 2026 to Sunday 20th September 2026
One of the highlights of our calendar is welcoming local artists and makers from New Forest Marque to sell their work at the Heritage Centre over the period of Hampshire Open Studios.
Wargraves of The New Forest
Tuesday 6th October 2026 to Sunday 29th November 2026
Many of the Forest’s churchyards contain the graves of men and women who died in the service of their country over the two World Wars. We will be working with local historians, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and local communities to tell the stories of some of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice and help ensure they are never forgotten.
Past Events & Exhibitions
The Close
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The Close in Thorney Hill was a temporary cul-de-sac of prefabricated homes erected by Hampshire County Council and in operation between 1964-1974. Its purpose was to act as a stepping stone to ‘assimilate’ Gypsy families into permanent council house accommodation. We will be displaying the finds from a recent excavation of the site and telling the story of this forgotten chapter in the long history of New Forest Romani Gypsies.
Pathways from Protest to Purpose
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Dr Jo Nurse (local artist, Fellow of the World Academy of Art & Science) and Damian Kelly Basher (local writer-performer and Hampshire Poet Laureate) will be using painting, poetry and film to explore the idea of choosing our path to create the world we want and a New Forest preserved for future generations.
New Forest Marque Makers Exhibition
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New Forest Marque is a food and produce scheme championing local food and craft producers and promoting traditional practices. This exhibition will profile and showcase the work of several members using the Forest as a key material.
From musical instruments to mohair, local producers and makers are showcasing and selling their pieces.
Photo ©Russell Sach
Alice Talk by Angela Trend
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Local historian and expert on the real Alice and her life in Lyndhurst, Angela Trend will be giving a talk in the Community Centre. Angela will be focusing on the Alice’s life as a Hargreaves and the family home, Cuffnells.
In Alice’s Footsteps – a guided walk by Mark Davies
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A country walk of about three miles with Lyndhurst-born Mark Davies, a trustee of the Lewis Carroll Society, author, and Oxford guide. The route will include locations in Lyndhurst and Emery Down associated Mrs Alice Hargreaves, the real 'Alice in Wonderland'. There will be a mid-walk tea break during which many intriguing aspects of the factual inspiration for 'The Mad Tea-Party' and other episodes will be explained, and the walk will end, appropriately enough, at The White Rabbit in Lyndhurst. The route includes some steep, uneven, and possibly muddy paths, and also some short sections of road with no pavement.
Fossil Walk with Dr James Barnet
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James is a paleoceanographer who was born and brought up in Bramshaw, where he was fascinated from an early age in the New Forest’s little-known fossil deposits. He is now a lecturer in the Earth Sciences Dept at St Andrew’s University. Last year his fossil walk was extremely popular and he is returning this year to lead another fossil-hunting outing to a different part of the Forest.
Space is limited; click the link to reserve your tickets.
Booksigning by John Leete
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To coincide with the 80th Anniversary Month of VE Day, author and journalist John Leete will be joining us to sign copies of the latest of his 3 books on the New Forest in wartime. World War II, New Forest Discovered builds on John’s earlier works, including information on sites and investigations gained from the New Forest National Park Authority’s “The Wartime Memories Project”.
Exhibition by Brockenhurst College students
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Our gallery will be taken over again this year by the Level 3 BTEC Art & Design students from Brockenhurst College, who will be displaying their final-year projects. Their work has been inspired by items and themes from our library and object collection.
Exhibition by the New Forest Camera Club
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Based between Totton and Ashurst on the edge of the New Forest, NFCC will be displaying members’ images of Forest scenes in our gallery
They Think It’s All Over New Forest Heritage Centre Exhibition, Summer 2025
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After the excitement of VE and VJ Day in 1945, what did the advent of peace signify for the residents of the New Forest?
The changes in aspects such as home, fashion, food, and technology—and the resultant social transformation—will be explored in our gallery exhibition.
Although the exhibition is over, many panels and some exhibits are still on display in the Museum.
Hampshire Open Studios: New Forest Marque Inspired
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New Forest Marque Inspired members will be coming together again under the Hampshire Open Studios initiative, which promotes artists and craftspeople across the county. Last year’s event involved over a dozen local talents displaying and selling their work in our gallery. It was extremely popular and successful, and we will be continuing our support this year.
The Secret Saboteurs of WW2
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An illustrated talk at the Heritage Centre will highlight the Special Operations Executive (SOE) during WWII, many trained secretly in the New Forest. Tasked by Churchill to “Set Europe Ablaze,” the SOE faced early opposition but showed great courage in guerrilla warfare. Eisenhower credited them with a crucial role in victory. The talk will cover SOE’s links to Ian Fleming’s James Bond and training at Beaulieu, revealing its challenges, triumphs, and tragedies.
The Barry Peckham Memorial Lecture – Artists in the New Forest: Past Masters
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Writer, speaker, and lifelong New Forest resident Georgina Babey is an expert on the history of New Forest art and literature and the author of several local history titles, including 'New Forest Painters' (Langford Press) and 'New Forest Through Time' (Amberley Publishing). In Barry’s memory, Georgina will give a lecture on New Forest artists of the past, such as William Shayer, John Emms, Heywood Sumner, Frederick Golden Short and Lucy Kemp-Welch, who were strong influencers in Barry's early career. She will also talk about the 1875 New Forest Art Exhibition in London, which played a pivotal role in shaping the future of the Forest and of Barry's own artistic legacy.
A Life Through Art - Barry Peckham Memorial Exhibition
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Barry Peckham was one of the most talented New Forest artists of his generation, and an immensely kind and modest man. His passing last autumn was a moment of great sadness but in this exhibition, which will be put together by his family, the man and his work will be remembered.
Who Do We Think We Are?
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We would like to invite you to join us for the day to look at the opportunities and threats to the valuable local historical research which has been accumulated over the years.
Please come along to learn more about keeping the history of the New Forest safe for future generations.
Law & Order
In the New Forest
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An Exhibition charting crime and justice in the Forest from 1087 to present day.
A visit to the custody areas of Lyndhurst Police Station
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PCSO Richard Williams will lead tours of the cells and other custody areas of Lyndhurst police station never normally seen by law abiding members of the public. Richard will be joined by a retired police officer who will explain how the custody process worked and some stories from the past.
Tours will last 1-1.5 hours. Instructions as to where to meet will be provided to ticketholders shortly before the event.
Exhibition by Kamil Woj
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Kamil came to the UK from Poland in 2005 for artistic and personal development. He is a professional musician by trade and has recently found a passion for painting. He spends much of his time painting in the New Forest. His art reflects his emotions and his own life experiences. This is the first opportunity he has been given to exhibit his work in a public space.