ANewForestStory,Toldwith Heart 
Our History
Where 
it all Began
Tucked between coast and forest, South Lawn Hotel has a history as timeless as the New Forest itself. Once the Dower House to the grand Newlands Manor Estate, it sat opposite a thatched lodge marking the estate’s South Entrance.
The Manor, still privately owned today, was rebuilt in 1805 in the romantic ‘Strawberry Hill Gothic’ style after the original was lost to fire in the winter of 1801. Newlands Manor was purchased in 1793 by Admiral the Hon. Sir Cornwallis—a close friend of Nelson—and remained in the Cornwallis-West family for generations, reaching its largest size of 2,000 acres by 1850.
A short history
Milford’s Past,South Lawn’s 
Present
At the turn of the 18th century, Milford was a small, wooded village with pastureland, clay-built cottages, a smithy, a poorhouse, a handful of inns, and a tollhouse. Its population of around 600 has since grown to more than 4,600, but the village’s charm endures.
South Lawn began its new chapter in 1970, when it was purchased and transformed into a hotel the following year. Then, it had just six bedrooms and a rather tired exterior. Careful renovation breathed new life into the building, allowing it to grow without losing its character. Today, with 57 comfortable bedrooms and a spacious restaurant, South Lawn remains a welcoming retreat, where warm hospitality, relaxed charm, and the peaceful spirit of the New Forest are always at the heart of your stay.
Our History
Milford’s StoryContinues
Village Beginnings
Milford began as a Saxon settlement, later recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as a small manor with a church, a mill, and just 50 residents. From 1107 to 1539 it belonged to Christchurch Priory, before passing to courtiers and merchants. Agriculture and seasonal sea-salt production were the main trades—alongside some smuggling. When the salterns declined in the late 1700s, wealthy newcomers arrived, building fine Georgian houses that are now among over 50 listed properties.
Hamlet to Seaside Village
Until the late 1800s, Milford on Sea was a small hamlet of thatched cottages along the High Street. In the 1880s, Colonel Cornwallis-West of Newlands Manor aimed to turn it into a leading seaside resort, adding “on-Sea” to the name. The plan never fully took shape, but it left behind today’s charming seaside village of around 4,700 residents.