Hampshire
The places that still hold her
She is silver on a bonnet now. The ground that knew her is still in Hampshire. Palace House. The National Motor Museum. The river at Buckler’s Hard. Go if you can. The novel is a novel. The places are real.
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Palace House
The family seat
Palace House, Beaulieu, is the family seat of the Barons Montagu of Beaulieu. The second Baron is the man in this story. The house is open to visitors. What it holds is theirs, not ours.
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National Motor Museum
Beaulieu, Hampshire
The National Motor Museum stands on the same estate. Motoring history in the county where this family lived it. We do not use their photographs. We do not speak for their collection. If you want the cars, go to Beaulieu.
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Buckler’s Hard
The Persia story, and a memorial
Buckler’s Hard Maritime Museum, on the Beaulieu River, tells the story of the P&O liner Persia, torpedoed on 30 December 1915. Among those aboard were John, 2nd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu, and Eleanor Thornton, introduced as his secretary. There is a Persia memorial there. The museum’s own pages are the place to read how they tell it.
Independence
The Woman on the Bonnet is an independent novel. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or stocked by the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, Palace House, or Buckler’s Hard. We do not claim a museum partnership or a place in any bookshop there. Visit the real places. Their collections and their memorials belong to them.