IF YOU GO DOWN IN THE WOODS TODAY...

Deep in the New Forest on the quiet road between Bolderwood and Emery Down you pass a curious looking relic.  It`s a fireplace - just a fireplace, no house, no bungalow, no building of any kind - just a fireplace.   It originally formed part of the cook-house of a unit of the Portuguese army, stationed here during the First World War to lend assistance to the depleted local labour force in the production of much needed timber for the war effort. 

The Forestry Commission have retained the fireplace not just as a memorial for those men who lived and worked here at the time but also in acknowledgement of the assistance given by the Portuguese government which helped towards the cost of renovating and preserving this surprising yet poignant memorial.........