The extent of
Rockingham Forest
Area of wood pasture in Southwick Wood
Where is Rockingham Forest?
The extent of Rockingham Forest has changed dramatically over the centuries. At one time it stretched from Stamford in the north to Northampton in the south, and from the Great North Road (A1) in the east and out to the west towards Rugby and Leicester.
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Now the most significant sections of remaining woodland lie in the northern part of the former forest and it is this that constitutes the current main area of interest for Rockingham Forest Vision. The map below indicates a rather flexible and fluid boundary. As you can see the area is roughly triangular bounded by the A1 and River Nene to the east, by the River Welland to the northwest and by a line from Oundle to Brigstock and Rushton to the south.
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The Rockingham Forest National Character Area
Natural England have divided the entire country into 159 National Character Areas (NCAs), each one representing an area of distinct and recognisable character at the national scale. Their boundaries follow natural lines in the landscape, not county or district boundaries, and the idea is to provide a framework for decision-making and planning for future change.
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Rockingham Forest is NCA no 92 and the next map shows that area (at a different scale from the one above). From this map you can see that our current area of focus covers a large part of the NCA, but there are other very significant parts of the former forest. The area of the NCA is approximately 200 sq. miles while our current area of interest is about 120 sq. miles, as shown in the map above.
Natural England's NCA profiles were largely completed in September 2014. This link provides access to the comprehensive profile, and a wealth of more recently gathered data, interactive maps etc.
