About the neighborhood
The New Forest lies to the west of Southampton Water in south-west Hampshire and covers 37,677 hectares. Centuries of human management and livestock grazing have meant that the forest is a combination of heathland, ancient woodland, wetlands and grassy plains, with many enclosures of both coniferous and deciduous woodland. The commoners’ ponies and cattle roam freely across the forest, controlling and shaping the vegetation as they graze.
‘New Forest’, or ‘Nova Foresta’, was created by William the Conqueror as a royal hunting ground, and forest laws were enforced to protect the hunted animals and their habitats. These strict laws ensured that the hunting of deer and wild boar remained the closely guarded privilege of the King and his followers.
Over the centuries, deer hunting became le...