Black-and-white historical map of Chippenham and Melksham Forests, showing forest boundaries from 1228 and 1300, woods and parks circa 1950, and surrounding towns and streams. Labels indicate key locations and dates.

Semington and the ancient Forest of Melksham

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The boundaries of the Chippenham and Melksham Forests were formally declared in 1228, and remained in place for the next hundred years. The boundaries of the area were the Avon and Marden rivers to the west and north, the Summerham and Semington Brooks to the south, and the highway between Calne and Rowde to the east.  The area enclosed was about 33 square miles.

You can find much more detail about this on the British History Online website.

Avon Needs Trees is a registered charity based in Bristol that is buying land in the Bristol-Avon Catchment Area in order to reforest and rewild it.  It says that planting trees will sequester carbon from the air, enhance biodiversity and provide natural flood management, as well as water and air quality improvement, and more public amenity space.  In August 2020 its first land – 34 acres near Calne – was bought and the search is now on for a second.