Holmhill Cottage

If you look carefully around the forest you may spot incongruous features which could be clues to past activity or events. It's astounding what history hides from us in plain sight, only seen if we really look. It could be earthworks of some kind, hidden footings, boundaries, pieces of masonry or in this case non native plants. At Holmhill you'll see a plantation of non native Eucalyptus trees, and in the spring, clusters of daffodils, these mark the site of Holmhill Cottage. Holmhill had seen occupation from at least the 1600's and was described in 1670 as a place ''very much delightful for the feeding and harbouring of his Majesties deer'' (New Forest Notes by Anthony Pasmore), and a cottage stood here right up until the late 70's when the last occupant died and the buildings were demolished. The only physical remnant of the cottage is a significant piece of brickwork, possibly a chimney, about 100m down hill wedged in a drainage ditch.  When the cottage, stables and out buildings were gone the Forestry Commission ploughed the whole site and planted these Eucalyptus trees. So you're looking at what Eucalyptus trees growing in Britain look like after 40 years. Holmhill Cottage must have been a magnificent place to live back in the day, rudimentary maybe with no services and limited amenities, though set as it was in such splendid isolation, I'm sure you could overlook those. 

Graffiti gone!

There's an interesting stand of Eucalyptus trees in the forest where once stood Holmhill Cottage, a long gone isolated forestry commission property. The Eucalyptus were planted in 1977, after the last inhabitant of the cottage died and all remnants of the dwelling (a cottage, stables, outbuildings and paddocks) were removed and the plot ploughed over. The trees are tall, and some hang with long strips of papery bark, the trees ex-foliated skin. At some time in the past 'Bob' had carved his name in big letters into one of the trees, a mark on the semi permanence on most trees, although a mere temporary mark on the Eucalyptus. I was fascinated to see how 'Bob's' deep carving (as it looked like it was deeply cut originally by the scaring) was being grown out, simply peeled off, leaving behind it a fresh clear new growth of bark. Cool, stuff, a sort of organic etcha-sketch .