Lyndhurst in old pictures - charming country cottages
Attractive country cottages, many of them thatched, enhance the New Forest landscape and have attracted artists and photographers since Victorian times. Indeed, for over 100 years, pictures of many of these delightful buildings have been used to grace postcards so eagerly purchased by visitors to the area. Here are a small number of examples of cottage images from around Lyndhurst and neighbouring Swan Green.
thatched cottages on the road to Brockenhurst
The more prominent cottage shown on the right, above, is believed to be Beechen Cottage, a little to the south of Goose Green, on the Lyndhurst to Brockenhurst road. A modern view is here. If that's the case, then the more distant cottage on the left, also (I think) shown again in the winter scene further down the page, and now no longer present, is probably the old turnpike gate house close to Foxlease Bridge.
the same cottage as that shown alongside.
And the location of the wayside cottage shown above? Well, thanks to James Sapsard it has been identified as belonging to the Midforest Veterinary Practice, situated opposite the entrance to Foxlease (on the Brockenhurst road). An up-to-date image is shown here, together with the later additions to the right of the original building. (James remembers delivering the Echo there, back in the 1960's, when it was the home of Mrs. Devonshire). The lane running alongside is Beechen Lane, leading to Hillary Close and on to Pondhead and Park Ground Inclosures.
and beside what is now the A35 at Swan Green,
to the west of Lyndhurst. Ordnance Survey
maps in 1870 and 1898 showed a smithy close
to the low building with smoke billowing from
the chimney. Presumably that is it).
(1853 to 1934), published as a postcard. (It
features the same row of thatched cottages
shown on the previous image and also the
adjacent building suspected of
being the Swan Green smithy).
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Sadly, 58 animals were killed - 35 ponies, 13 cows, 8 donkeys and 2 sheep, whilst a further 32 were injured - 3 pigs, 9 donkeys, 11 cows and 9 ponies.
(Forty-three accidents occurred in daylight, 15 at twilight and 101 in the dark. Twenty-seven accidents were not reported by the driver involved).
Here's just one horrific example - Three donkeys killed in collision with van at notorious New Forest blackspot (Advertiser and Times)
Lesser celandine blooms illuminate woodlands, and heathland edges.
Fallow deer remain in single sex herds, the bucks at this time always separate from the does.
Curlews return from the coast to breed in and around the New Forest's wetter areas.
Red admiral butterflies are increasingly seen on bright, sunny days.
April
Redstarts are amongst the first returning long-distance migrant birds that arrive in April.
Large red damselflies take to the wing, the first of many such species that will soon be seen in the New Forest.
Bluebells blossom, sometimes in good numbers in ungrazed woodlands.
Badger cubs usually first appear above ground towards the end of the month.
