The relationship between people and heathland goes back as far as the Bronze Age. When people settled in one place, they cleared woodland to use for fuel and to make space for livestock to graze. This created areas where heather could thrive. They also cleared trees to build big earth mounds over graves, called Tumuli.  

You can still see 3 Tumuli at South Park. Imagine walking where Bronze Age people once stood! At Trig Hill in South Park, people found worked flint from the Mesolithic period.  

In North Park, there are old paths that follow an ancient road from Ringwood to Palmers Ford. 

From the Iron Age to the 1800s, heathland was the main type of land. People didn’t live on it but had special rights given by the landowner. These rights included: 

  • the right to graze. Commoners could let their livestock graze at certain times of the year. This still happens in the New Forest where ponies graze.
  • the right to turbary. This was the right to dig turf or peat for fuel. The name “Turbary Common” in Poole comes from this. 
  • the right of estovers. This was the right to collect wood from the ground. But also included collecting gorse and dead or dying wood often for roofing and fencing. 

In the late 1800s, new farming methods made it possible to grow crops on land that was once thought useless, like heathland. The Industrial Revolution moved people to cities, and the Enclosure Acts stopped commoners from using land they used to work on. This led to the destruction of the heathland. People thought heathland was bad because its soil was acidic and low in nutrients, so they cleared it and added nutrients to grow crops. 

As towns and cities grew, heathland was used for building homes, shops, and roads. Many town names, like Canford Heath, show their history as heaths. From 1800 to 1983, Britain lost about 75% of its heathland, and now that number is 86%. 

People started to realise that heathland is important for wildlife. Lowland heathland is now classed as a priority habitat and protected by law. 

Avon Heath Country Park is a: 

  • Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) 
  • Special Protected Area 
  • Special Area of Conservation 

A brief History of Avon Heath Country Park

Iron Age

Iron Age burial mounds created on what is now Avon Heath South Park. Located on a higher ground these mounds would have been a prominent feature in the landscape showing the tribe’s status.

1700s

The poor agricultural value of the heathland created a harsh and unforgiving environment for its inhabitants. The area was notoriously inhabited by highwaymen and thieves as one on the main arterial roads from Ringwood to Wimborne passed through the site. As early as 1790 King John III called for improvements in the surface as he used it on his frequent visits to Weymouth.

As part of the Matcham's Estate the country park was managed as a traditional sporting estate. Shepherds Spring house was built in 1790/1791 by George Matcham, the brother in law of Horatio Nelson who was known to have visited. The house burnt down sometime between 1825 and 1830.  

1795 Avon Heath was the site of the earliest recorded planting of Maritime Pine in Dorset.

1930s and 1940s

Towards the end of World War 2, the area became a pre-D-day camp. Speculation remains that St. Leonard's hotel at the entrance to the site was used as a signalling post for air crew. Rumours abound that the bar maid use to raise different coloured flags from a tree located at the rear of the property!

During the post war period the land came into the hands of a property developer who began to sell off building plots. 

 

1960s

Hampshire County Council began a programme of land purchase around St. Ives both compulsory and by agreement, the aim being to prevent adhoc building development and unauthorised use occurring in the area.

1970s

1974 During Local Government Reorganisation a significant parcel of land was transferred to Dorset County Council (DCC). DCC used the provisions of the 1968 Countryside Act, to establish the county's second Country Park calling it “Avon Forest Park”. With grant-aid from the Countryside Commission, almost 600 acres were taken under protective management under the general policy of ‘conservation for public enjoyment’.

1976 saw the area devastated by fire and management of the site for the next 10 years was directed in repairing the damage.

1977 parts of North & South Park designated as Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) as part of Hurn Common. 

1990s

Dorset County Council entered into a formal leasing partnership with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). 

1996 the old name of “Avon Forest Park” was changed to “Avon Heath Country Park” to reflect the importance of the lowland heath.
 

2008

2008 Dorset County Council took back in house the land management of the Country Park.

Present day

The park now welcomes over 300,000 visitors every year who come to enjoy the heathland trails, café, visitor centre and play area.