IT IS one of the most historic sites in the south coast.

Buckler’s Hard in the New Forest is a former shipbuilding centre that produced some of the vessels that fought at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

Nelson’s favourite, HMS Agamemnon, was among the ships that were launched at Buckler’s Hard in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

During the Second World War the tiny hamlet overlooking the Beaulieu River was used to build motor torpedo boats, while the river itself became a base for hundreds of craft waiting to take part in the D-Day landings.

Buckler’s Hard was also the home port of round-the-world sailor Sir Francis Chichester, who circumnavigated the globe in 1967.

Now a week-long dig is to take place near the foreshore in a bid to unearth evidence of the village’s contribution to Britain’s maritime heritage.

The public are being invited to join an archaeological excavation being staged by the Beaulieu Estate and New Forest National Park Authority (NPA) as part of the national Festival of Archaeology.

Funded by the Heritage Lottery the event will take place between July 18 and July 24, followed by a party on the final day.

James Brown, community archaeologist at the NPA, said: “We are excited by this brilliant opportunity. The investigation will focus on locating and identifying buildings recorded on old maps of the shipyard.

“We have a well-defined search area and will report on our findings at the end of the dig.”

A Beaulieu Estate spokesman added: “Two maps from 1815 and 1845 show buildings near the slipway at Buckler’s Hard and the focus of the new investigation is to search for their archaeological remains.

“The boundary of the area between the shipyard and a timber yard survives as a visible earth bank.

“Three trenches will be opened by hand and excavated using shovels, trowels and buckets. All the trenches will be returned to their former state after the excavation.

“Up to 10 volunteers can participate daily – and visitors to the Buckler’s Hard attraction are welcome to watch them at work.”

Famous for its two rows of Georgian cottages leading down to the waterfront, the village also boasts a maritime museum and a timber-framed replica of an 18th century shipwright’s workshop.

The museum was created by the previous Lord Montagu, who died last year aged 88, and was opened by Lord Mountbatten in 1963.

After undergoing a major facelift in 2011, the newly-refurbished building was reopened by broadcaster and military historian Dan Snow.

Dan, son of TV presenter Peter Snow, spent much of his childhood sailing on the Beaulieu River and now lives in a house in the area following his marriage to Lady Edwina Grosvenor, daughter of the Duke of Westminster.

Anyone wishing to take part in the dig should register their interest by e-mailing archaeology@newforestnpa.gov.uk.