SU2201 : Dismantled railway near Burley
taken 13 days ago, near to Bisterne Close, Hampshire, England
The New Forest is an area characterised by open pasture and ancient heathland as well as woodland. It covers more than 550 square kilometres, mostly in Hampshire although parts of it are in Wiltshire. Roughly two-thirds of The New Forest is within the New Forest National Park, which was designated as a National Park in 2005.
More information can be found on the websites of the New Forest National Park Authority: Link and Forestry England: Link
Dr Richard Beeching (1913-1985) was employed during the 1960s by the government as the Chairman of the British Railways Board. In 1963 he produced a report which recommended the closure of thousands of miles of railway lines and thousands of stations, which were deemed to be unprofitable, to streamline the British railway network.
Over the years that followed, many of the lines and stations recommended for closure did indeed close, although some did survive against the odds while a few which did close have since been rebuilt and reopened. The railway closures of that period are often referred to as "Beeching Cuts".
More information about Dr Beeching's report cn be found on the websites of Network Rail Link and the National Archives Link