2006
SU2112 : Entering the site of the Churchyard medieval hunting lodge, New Forest
taken 19 years ago, 3 km from Fritham, Hampshire, England

Entering the site of the Churchyard medieval hunting lodge, New Forest
All that remains of the medieval "Churchyard" royal hunting lodge is a rectangular bank and external ditch on the gravel ridge south of the Sloden Inclosure. The view above is looking along the later trackway that bisects and disturbs the earthworks. The fallen leaves in the foreground are collected in the infilled ditch and the low grassy bank in the foreground is on the western edge of the site. Nothing remains of the hunting lodge that probably stood on this site - originally the site was thought to be a cattle inclosure but it is almost identical to other nearby known hunting lodge sites. The lodges provided temporary accommodation for visiting royalty or nobility. Many of these abandoned earthworks in the Forest have attracted "Church" placenames - this site certainly has a lot of yew trees within its banks.