Ellingham, Harbridge & Ibsley Parish Council was formed in 1974 with the amalgamation of the then three separate parishes of Ellingham, Harbridge and Ibsley. This has given rise to one of the largest parishes in terms of area.
The parish is situated north of Ringwood and extends towards Fordingbridge.It is divided on this north / south axis by the River Avon and the busy route between Poole / Bournemouth and Salisbury. (A338)
To the west of the river is situated the picturesque area of Harbridge and the large Somerley Estate, home of Lord Normanton.
Further west the parish extends into Ringwood Forest and terminates at the county boundary with Dorset.
To the east of the river is the village of Ibsley (including Mockbeggar) and further east the scattered community at Linwood. In between and around are large tracts of open land forming part of the New Forest where forest animals roam freely. At the eastern extremity the parish meets the A31 en route to Southampton.
Although the parish is large in area, the population is small in comparison, the relationship between the area and population means that houses are spread very sparsely throughout the parish with Ibsley and Mockbeggar being the only area where houses are grouped together.