Parkhurst Forest

Parkhurst Forest is a woodland to the north-west of Newport, Isle of Wight, England.

Parkhurst Forest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
Hillis Gate - Parkhurst Forest
Area of SearchIsle of Wight
Grid referenceSZ473915
InterestBiological
Area395 hectare
Notification1986 (1986)
Location mapNatural England
Scenery in the forest

The site is partly a site of special scientific interest. It consists of both ancient woodland, relict heathland and plantation woodland. The woodland is freehold owned and managed by the Forestry Commission. It is 395 hectares in area and the second largest forest on the Isle of Wight after Brighstone Forest. It is open to the public.

It is much used as recreational land and is a haven for wildlife including the red squirrel and many species of bird such as garden warbler, nightjar, woodcock, green, great spotted woodpecker and long eared owl.

An industrial area is located off Forest Road within the forest itself. Factories were located in this way during the Second World War to avoid German bombers. One of these factories, a former aircraft hangar, became the printworks for J. Arthur Dixon, the eponymous manufacturer of greetings cards and postcards.[1]

James I hunted deer in the forest. There have been sightings of wild deer reported on the Isle of Wight.

References
  1. "J. Arthur Dixon works, Newport". Domesday Reloaded. BBC. Retrieved 31 December 2013.

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