Rockingham Forest
Rockingham Forest is a former Mediæval royal hunting forest in the East Midlands region of England in the county of Northamptonshire. When designated a royal hunting forest in the 11th century, it was named after the village of Rockingham, because at that time the castle there was a royal retreat.
The forest originally stretched from Stamford down to Northampton. The boundaries were marked by the river Nene on the eastern side, and on the western side what is now the A508 road from Market Harborough to Northampton. Over the years the forest shrank and today only a patchwork of the north-eastern forest remains. The bulk of the remaining forest is located within a square, of which the corners are Corby, Kettering, Thrapston and Oundle.
Managed by the Forestry Commission it includes:
- Southey Wood, Peterborough
- Wakerley Great Wood
- Bedford Purlieus National Nature Reserve
- Fineshade Wood
- Fermyn Woods
It is famous for its population of Red Kites which as of 2008 is now sizeable.
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