New Forest sites of local historic interest given Local Listing status by the national park authority

SITES of local interest nominated by the public have made it onto a special list put together by the New Forest National Park Authority in a bid to preserve their future.

A new set of approved “heritage assets” has now been formally added to the authority’s Local List after being put forward by residents and assessed by a review panel and the NPA’s planning committee.

They include the black postbox at Fritham, Minstead Village Hall, St Luke’s Church in Sway, Beaulieu Airfield, and the concrete target arrow at Ashley Walk Bombing Range near Godshill.

The sites do not get formal protection but will be given “special consideration” should any planning applications affect them.

Fritham’s unusual postbox was installed by the Schultze gunpowder factory in Eyeworth to save the postman the long downhill trip to its site each day before the advent of the motor car.

The factory operated between around 1860 and 1926, and at its peak was the largest employer in the New Forest and the largest nitro-compound gunpowder factory in the world.

Another site locals want protected is the Ashley Walk bombing range, created in 1940 and used extensively during the Second World War.

Bombs dropped on the 5,000-acre site by the RAF ranged from small anti-personnel weapons to the ultimate in air ordnance, the 22,000lb Grand Slam medium-capacity bomb.

The range was not fully cleared until 1948, although various features such as the concrete illuminated target arrow and the various chalk marks still survive.

Some craters created by the bombs were filled, but the heathland is still littered with holes made from bomb and shell explosions.

Minstead village hall also has an interesting back story, having originally been used to house and train the thousands of horses that were needed for the First World War.

When the conflict came to an end, the government sold off the then redundant building and others like it, and the hut was bought by local benefactor Daniel Hanbury.

His wife was a staunch supporter of the then newly formed WI, which was in need of a large venue for its meetings.

Beaulieu Airfield, having long been a site of huge interest locally, was another popular choice with residents.

Built in 1942, it was a major wartime base used initially by the Royal Air Force, then by US Army Air Forces in 1944.

On D-Day, P-47 Thunderbolt fighter-bombers, known as “the Hellhawks”, took off from RAF Beaulieu to divebomb and attack German gun positions and communication hubs in Normandy.

In addition to these five sites, five private homes have also been included in the list after being nominated.

While local listing will ensure the architectural or historic interest of these sites is recognised, it will not secure additional planning controls nor rule out future alterations.

NPA planning committee chair Gordon Bailey said: “The list celebrates the wonderful things that give the New Forest its special qualities and unique character and does not impose more regulations on homeowners.”

New Forest buildings already on the list include Beaulieu Village Primary School, the Royal Oak at Fritham, the Cloud Hotel in Brockenhurst, Lyndhurst cricket pavilion, Bartley village hall, and well preserved examples of traditional New Forest cottages and agricultural buildings.

Planning authorities are encouraged by Historic England to identify assets of local interest that have not met the standard for national Grade 1 or 2 listing, but are nevertheless considered important features in their locality.

When the NPA reviewed its conservation areas between 2008 and 2010, extensive survey work and public consultation was carried out to identify special features, including buildings of local interest.

Over the course of this year and into 2022, the authority is working on a more comprehensive review of the Local List.

For more information visit www.newforestnpa.gov.uk/local-list