An area of heath, woodland, and marsh covering c.37 300 ha/92 200 acres of S Hampshire, England; a popular tourist area. William the Conqueror appropriated the area for his new forest (royal hunting land) in 1079. Known for its ponies and wild deer, it is administered by 10 Verderers, the head Verderer being appointed by the Crown. It was designated a national park in 2005.
| New Forest National Park | |
|---|---|
| IUCN Category V (Protected Landscape/Seascape) | |
| Location of New Forest National Park within England | |
| Location: | Hampshire, United Kingdom |
| Nearest city: | Southampton |
| Coordinates: | 50°52′00″N, 1°34′00″W |
| Area: | 571 km² (141,097 acres) |
| Established: | 1079 |
| Visitation: | 7.5 Million (in 1992) |
| Governing body: | New Forest National Park Authority |
The New Forest is an area of southern England which includes the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and old-growth forest in the heavily-populated south east of England. The contiguous New Forest habitat covers south west Hampshire and some of south Wiltshire and east Dorset. As a National Park the New Forest is mainly in Hampshire, but also covering some of Wiltshire. Additionally the New Forest local government district is a subdivision of Hampshire which covers most of the forest, and some nearby areas.
The highest point in the New Forest is Piper's Wait, just west of Bramshaw.
History
Like much of England, the New Forest was originally forested, but parts were cleared for cultivation from the Stone Age and into the Bronze Age. However, the poor quality of the soil in the new forest meant that the cleared areas turned into heathland "waste".
The New Forest was created as a royal forest in 1079 by William the Conqueror for the hunting of (mainly) deer.
As of 2005, roughly 90% of the New Forest is still owned by the Crown. Over time, the New Forest became an important source of wood for the Royal Navy, and plantations were begun to replace the felled trees.
The naval plantations encroached on the rights of the Commoners, but the Forest gained new protection under an Act of Parliament in 1877. The New Forest Act 1877 confirmed the historic rights of the Commoners and prohibited the enclosure of more than 16,000 acres (61 km²) at any time.
Further New Forest Acts followed in 1949, 1964 and 1970. The New Forest became a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1971, and was granted special status as the "New Forest Heritage Area" in 1985, with additional planning controls added in 1992. The New Forest was proposed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in June 1999, and it became a National Park in 2005.
Common rights
Forest Laws were enacted to preserve the New Forest as a location for royal deer hunting, and interference with the King's deer and its forage was severely punished.
Geography
The New Forest Heritage Area covers about 580 km² (143321 acres), and the New Forest SSSI covers almost 300 km² (74131 acres), making it the largest contiguous area of un-sown vegetation in lowland Britain.
Wildlife
As well as providing a visually remarkable and historic landscape, the ecological value of the New Forest is particularly great because of the relatively large areas of lowland habitats, lost elsewhere, which have survived. The area contains a profusion of rare wildlife, including the New Forest cicada, the only cicada native to Great Britain.
Three species of snake inhabit the Forest.
Numerous deer live in the Forest but are usually rather shy and tend to stay out of sight when people are around.
The New Forest is designated as an EU Special Area of Conservation.
Settlements
Among the towns and villages lying in or adjacent to the Forest are Lyndhurst (which claims to be the 'capital' of the New Forest), Brockenhurst, Fordingbridge, Ringwood, Beaulieu, Bransgore and Lymington. The forest gives its name to the New Forest district of Hampshire.
See also List of locations in the New Forest
New Forest National Park
Consultations on the possible designation of a National Park in the New Forest were commenced by the Countryside Agency in 1999. A National Park Authority for the New Forest was established on 1 April 2005 and assumed its full statutory powers on 1 April 2006. The Forestry Commission retain their powers to manage the Crown land within the Park, and the Verderers under the New Forest Acts also retain their responsibilities, and the Park Authority is expected to co-operate with these bodies, the local authorities, English Nature and other interested parties. It has a population of approximately 38,000 (excluding most of the 170,256 people who live in the New Forest local government district). As well as most of the New Forest district of Hampshire, it takes in a small corner of Test Valley district around the village of Canada, and part of the Salisbury district in Wiltshire south-east of Redlynch.
Visitor Attractions and Places
Buckler's Hard Beaulieu New Forest ShowGallery
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Ponies grazing by the Latchmore Brook |
New Forest heath and ponies |
The Beaulieu River at Longwater Lawn |
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