Woodgreen
Encyclopedia
Woodgreen is a village
and civil parish
within the New Forest
district of Hampshire
in England
.
and Hale
to the east of the River Avon. It is located due south of the city of Salisbury
, its nearest town is Fordingbridge
lying to the southwest. In the 2001 UK Census the parish was home to 537 people in 220 households. Its nearest railway station is Dean railway station
.
The village has one pub called The Horse and Groom. In 2006 the village shop and post office was threatened with closure, but the village pulled together and acquired the lease for five years. On 14 May 2011 a new Woodgreen Community Shop was opened after more than four years of campaigning and fundraising by the local community.
Two thirds of the parish is an area of woodland, heathland, acid grassland, scrub and valley bog, supporting a richness and diversity of wildlife.
One mile to the south of the village are the earthwork remains of Castle Hill, comprising an oval ring motte with an outer bailey
. The castle may have been a siege castle recorded in 1148.
, reckoned as part of Godshill
tithing. The settlement has been known as Woodgreen since the mid 17th century. The "Wood" is Godshill Inclosure which separates the village from the rest of the New Forest; "Green" is a common local name for a secondary settlement. The civil parish
of Woodgreen consisting of just 47 acres was created in 1858. In 1932 the parish was much enlarged with the addition of 166 acres from Breamore
parish and 175 acres from Hale
parish.
When the village hall was built in 1930-1, two students from the Royal College of Art
(Robert Baker and Edward Payne) were commissioned by the Carnegie Trust
to decorate the walls entirely with murals, depicting village life as it was then. The mural shows poachers looking down from Castle Hill; the Sunday School in the Methodist Church; folk dancing; fruit picking; the Horse and Groom; the village flower show; making cider; and the caretaker lighting the stove.
The building that is now the village church dates from 1913 and was originally a church reading room. In 1949, it was dedicated as a church with the name of Saint Boniface
and was extended to its present size in 1963. Since 1927, Woodgreen has been part of the ecclesiastical parish of Hale and Woodgreen, sharing the same clergy and with shared services.
. Woodgreen is within the New Forest West
parliamentary constituency, represented by another Conservative, Desmond Swayne
.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
within the New Forest
New Forest (district)
New Forest is a local government district in Hampshire, England. It is named after the New Forest.It was created on 1 April 1974, and was a merger of the borough of Lymington, New Forest Rural District and part of Ringwood and Fordingbridge Rural District....
district of Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Overview
Woodgreen lies between BreamoreBreamore
Breamore is a village and civil parish near Fordingbridge in Hampshire, England. The toponym is pronounced "Bremmer", not "Bree-moor" as might be supposed. The parish includes a notable Elizabethan country house, Breamore House, built with an E-shaped ground plan...
and Hale
Hale, Hampshire
Hale is a small village and civil parish in Hampshire, England. It lies on the border of the New Forest, overlooking the valley of the River Avon. The village is about north-east of the town of Fordingbridge, and about south of the city of Salisbury...
to the east of the River Avon. It is located due south of the city of Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
, its nearest town is Fordingbridge
Fordingbridge
Fordingbridge is a town and civil parish with a population of 5,700 on the River Avon in the New Forest District of Hampshire, England, near to the Dorset and Wiltshire borders and on the edge of the New Forest. It is south west of London, and south of the city of Salisbury. Fordingbridge is a...
lying to the southwest. In the 2001 UK Census the parish was home to 537 people in 220 households. Its nearest railway station is Dean railway station
Dean railway station
Dean railway station is a small station near the village of West Dean, Wiltshire , England.The station itself is on the Wessex Main Line south east of Salisbury.-Service:...
.
The village has one pub called The Horse and Groom. In 2006 the village shop and post office was threatened with closure, but the village pulled together and acquired the lease for five years. On 14 May 2011 a new Woodgreen Community Shop was opened after more than four years of campaigning and fundraising by the local community.
Two thirds of the parish is an area of woodland, heathland, acid grassland, scrub and valley bog, supporting a richness and diversity of wildlife.
One mile to the south of the village are the earthwork remains of Castle Hill, comprising an oval ring motte with an outer bailey
Motte-and-bailey
A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle, with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised earthwork called a motte, accompanied by an enclosed courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade...
. The castle may have been a siege castle recorded in 1148.
History
Woodgreen was originally an extra-parochial area of the New ForestNew Forest
The New Forest is an area of southern England which includes the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in the heavily-populated south east of England. It covers south-west Hampshire and extends into south-east Wiltshire....
, reckoned as part of Godshill
Godshill, Hampshire
Godshill is a village and civil parish and in New Forest National Park in Hampshire, England. It is about east of the town of Fordingbridge.-The village:Godshill is a small village scattered on either side of the B3078 road east of Fordingbridge...
tithing. The settlement has been known as Woodgreen since the mid 17th century. The "Wood" is Godshill Inclosure which separates the village from the rest of the New Forest; "Green" is a common local name for a secondary settlement. The civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of Woodgreen consisting of just 47 acres was created in 1858. In 1932 the parish was much enlarged with the addition of 166 acres from Breamore
Breamore
Breamore is a village and civil parish near Fordingbridge in Hampshire, England. The toponym is pronounced "Bremmer", not "Bree-moor" as might be supposed. The parish includes a notable Elizabethan country house, Breamore House, built with an E-shaped ground plan...
parish and 175 acres from Hale
Hale, Hampshire
Hale is a small village and civil parish in Hampshire, England. It lies on the border of the New Forest, overlooking the valley of the River Avon. The village is about north-east of the town of Fordingbridge, and about south of the city of Salisbury...
parish.
When the village hall was built in 1930-1, two students from the Royal College of Art
Royal College of Art
The Royal College of Art is an art school located in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate university of art and design, offering the degrees of Master of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy...
(Robert Baker and Edward Payne) were commissioned by the Carnegie Trust
Carnegie United Kingdom Trust
Carnegie United Kingdom Trust is a charitable foundation based in the United Kingdom, established by Scottish-born American steel magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie on the model of his U.S. foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York....
to decorate the walls entirely with murals, depicting village life as it was then. The mural shows poachers looking down from Castle Hill; the Sunday School in the Methodist Church; folk dancing; fruit picking; the Horse and Groom; the village flower show; making cider; and the caretaker lighting the stove.
The building that is now the village church dates from 1913 and was originally a church reading room. In 1949, it was dedicated as a church with the name of Saint Boniface
Saint Boniface
Saint Boniface , the Apostle of the Germans, born Winfrid, Wynfrith, or Wynfryth in the kingdom of Wessex, probably at Crediton , was a missionary who propagated Christianity in the Frankish Empire during the 8th century. He is the patron saint of Germany and the first archbishop of Mainz...
and was extended to its present size in 1963. Since 1927, Woodgreen has been part of the ecclesiastical parish of Hale and Woodgreen, sharing the same clergy and with shared services.
Governance
Woodgreen parish council has seven members. The parish forms part of the Downlands and Forest Ward which is represented on the New Forest District Council by a single seat, currently occupied by Edward Heron of the Conservative PartyConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
. Woodgreen is within the New Forest West
New Forest West
New Forest West is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
parliamentary constituency, represented by another Conservative, Desmond Swayne
Desmond Swayne
Desmond Angus Swayne TD MP , is a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He is Member of Parliament for the constituency of New Forest West in Hampshire, and is currently also Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, David Cameron, having been his PPS during his time...
.