Under an ancient New Forest law, this was the first pub established under squatters’ rights in the county. This building went up around a caravan or rude structure in the 1700s. The squatter’s legal rights were obtained if they were able to build a house or shelter with a hearth and chimney before the authorities investigated. The first legal squatter here was a general trader, who also sold groceries and ale. A phantom woman haunts the corner of the bar of the New Forest Inn. She removes pictures from the walls, with draws the curtains when no one is looking. Witnesses report that she only appears for a few seconds and is dressed in a long dress and wearing a hat.