Local History
When the royal focus shifted from deer hunting to the provision of timber for the Royal Navy, thousands of acres were set aside for shipbuilding and fortifications, shaping the forest as we know it today. Seeped in history and natural beauty, spanning over 200 square miles of unspoiled land, over 100 square miles remain under Crown ownership, carefully managed by the Forestry Commission.
The people in the New Forest collaborate to protect these magical woodlands and wilderness heaths according to the ancient ways.
The New Forest is undoubtedly one of the UK's premier tourist attractions, if not one of the world's. Every year, visitors from all walks of life come here to experience its natural beauty.
Some New Forest families still practise their ancient Rights of Pasture by turning out their ponies, cattle, sheep and pigs to graze and browse the open forest. These animals help to maintain the forest's unique landscape - a landscape which continued grazing has shaped over the last 900 years. Without them, the New Forest would not exist today.
One special highlight is the thousands of wild ponies, which roam freely in the woodlands and open moorland, and which are frequently seen eating the grass at the side of the roads.
The New Forest, with its wonderful collection of plants, birds and insects is now a national reserve, and is soon to become a National Park.
