Buckland leaflet
Summary
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This leaflet explains what a conservation area is and how it may affect you. It shows the boundary of one of the 33 conservation areas and points out some of the features which make it special.
Buckland
This is an area containing highly visible evidence of the relationship between social history and landscape over a long time span. Partly covered by trees planted since the 18th century are the impressive remains of the Iron Age hillfort of Buckland Rings. This Scheduled Ancient Monument forms the centre piece of a conservation area to the west of Southampton Road stretching from Passford Farm (Grade II) to the Toll House Inn and including the 16th century manor house (Grade II). The beauty of the Rings is that they are still unspoilt and peaceful, full of rabbits, birds and other wildlife. The woodlands provide wonderful walks and as well as a place for local children to have adventures. Since 1989 the area enclosing Buckland Rings has been in the care and ownership of Hampshire County Council and it is now open to visitors on foot.
The hillfort was a focal point for the development of communication routes north–south and east–west. The lowest crossing point of the Lymington River was at Boldre Bridge until the 1730s, so the manor was relatively prosperous until then. In 1858 the railway line following the valley of Passford Water just north of the hillfort was completed.
At first the hillfort would have been very prominent; all trees would have been cleared from around about to give clear lines of vision in case of attack. Today the combination of tree cover and large open areas formed by the fields within the hillfort and immediately to the south contribute to the visual quality of the landscape.
Close by, to the east of the conservation area, are the remains of another earthwork, Ampress Hole, beside the junction of Passford Water and Lymington River. The significance and relationship of this with Buckland Rings is not yet fully understood.