Pictures of Minstead

About Minstead

This is a delightful New Forest village which was once described as "the place where Mint grew" it is a beautiful unspoilt place with a church which looks as though it is shaped from a collection of cottages.

All Saints is a quaint mixture of church designs, with a history stretching back over 900 years. It has a 13th-century nave and chancel with Georgian additions. There are box pews, galleries and family pews, one with its own fire place. The three decker pulpit is very rare, possibly one of only three in the country, the pulpit is believed to date from the 17th-century.

This is an area much loved by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - creator of Sherlock Holmes, he lived here for some time and mentioned Minstead in one of his novels. When he died in 1930 he was originally buried in the garden of his East Sussex home, but in 1955 his body was brought to All Saints where he now lies together with his wife, Lady Jean, in a quiet corner of the churchyard.

Minstead is an ideal place to watch wildlife, be it the ponies grazing on the village green, birds, foxes or deer. It is a lovely centre for walking where you will be entranced at the many picturesque thatched cottages you will pass as you wander down the village's leafy lanes. You will probably pass the old Victorian schoolhouse which is now a study centre for children attending various courses.

Not far away a stone marks the spot where William Rufus was killed with an arrow in the year 1100.

Furzey Gardens can be reached within easy walking distance of the village.

Idyllic and peaceful, Minstead offers the perfect retreat for a quiet weekend, or a place to stay whilst exploring the dreamy pleasures of the New Forest and surrounding towns and villages.