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Ibsley is located on the very western edge of the New Forest National Park, midway between Fordingbridge and Ringwood.

It played an important role in the war and was a major base for Spitfire and Typhoon fighters. Today, Ibsley is a water based nature reserve managed by Southern Water and although none of the airfield remains, the control tower does, albeit in a state of disrepair*.

Away from the airfield site on a tree-covered hill the remains of Battle Headquarters can still be found, a stark reminder of the area’s wartime history.

Ibsley can also boast a movie-making credit – in 1942 the film First of the Few, starring David Niven, was shot on location at the airfield while it was in service. Now a wartime classic, the film follows the story of the legendary Spitfire, its development and its heroic pilots.