National Trust New Forest Northern Commons Property Time Line

The National Trust look to acquire land that enhances and protects the landscape and its wildlife in perpetuity. Often the acquisition will further benefit existing landholdings to help with the overall management whether in proximity, merit, threat or value. A good example of this is one of our more recent acquisitions. Foxbury rhododendron coverage threatened the self seeding of this prolific non native directly to the open commons cared for by us at . We are now able to manage the removal of this invasive species and in turn protect neighbouring landscapes.

1912, Octavia Hill Dies [The need of quiet, the need of air, the need of exercise, and the sight of sky and of things growing, seem human needs common to all’"]

1928 March 3rd, 464.23 acres of land within Bramshaw Commons acquired from Mrs Briscoe Eyre. This included the twin bowl barrow on Furzley Common. The land was bequeathed with a gift of timber.

1929 August 8th & September 9th, First parcels of land at Hightown were acquired and were to include 19.55 acres at hill Common from WJ Ayles; 0.89 acres atPoulner, adjacent to Main Hightown Road and 8.07 acres at Poulner Hill from JOS Ziegler – the great uncle of William Ziegler.

1930 November 11th. A further 464.56 acres at PlaifordCommons acquired from Mrs Briscoe Eyre.

1932 January 1st: Two small strips of land at Hightown Common were acquired from AJ Ayles and others.

1947 January 1st: A total of 510.08 acres of heath and woodland at Hale Purlieu were given with an endowment by Mr & Mrs Chance.

1954 January 1st: Small parcel of 0.35acres at Poulner, Hightown acquired from District council

1979 November 11th: A substantial 459.45 acres acquired at Half Moon Common, joining the existing holding was acquired from RH Everett (no relation to our Operations Manager Dylan Everett!)

1980 March 3rd: A further 3.91 acres at West Wellow added to the Bramshaw commons from Miss EVA Compton in memory of her brother Leslie Spencer Compton and with money from a public appeal.

1986 June 6th & July 7th: The last 3.25acre parcel acquired at Little Picket, Hightown Common acquired from Francis Emily Penrose.

1999 April 4th. 92.7 acres at Ibsley purchased by National Trust’s Philip Marshall from a Life II project fund from the fifth Earl of Normanton’s trustees. A huge addition of 1231.97 acres taking in Ibsley, Rockford & Mockbeggar Commons were also acquired from the Sixth Earl of Normanton of the Estate. March 3rd 2007 saw 32.57 acres covering the Rockford Pit adding to the sizeable holding offering ‘outstanding landscape and wildlife value’.

2006 March. Foxbury is the result of a successful application for a ‘Land Fill Tax Credit Scheme’ using the focus of ‘biodiversity enhancement.’ These funds allowed us to purchase 370 acres of predominately commercial coniferous woodland known as Foxbury Plantation.

The area 200 years ago was part of an extensive of heath and grassland. As the land to the north and east was lost to agriculture, Foxbury was enclosed and went through a series of phases of plantings until the whole area become commercial forest in the late 1800’s. Since then areas within the plantation have retained heathland plants as result of rides being maintained. Even in the early 1990’s there were significant areas of wet heath remaining on the western boundary which adjoins the New Forest. The National Trust wishes to restore the lowland heathland, native deciduous woodlands and acid grassland – an ambition fit for the scale of the project!