Between 2006 and 2008 volunteers received a Local Heritage Initiative grant to investigate the archaeology of Bedgebury Forest, an ancient woodland, helped by a professional landscape archaeologist.

In the early medieval period (before the Norman conquest) woods were highly valued as a source of grazing. In Autumn pigs and cattle were herded along drove ways from farms and manors in north and east Kent to the swine pastures or dens to feed on the oak 'mast' (acorns).

As the land was gradually cleared for farming the remaining woods were enclosed with banks and ditches to protect the young coppice from grazing livestock. The wood banks that remain may be older than the parish church.

In the past wood was as important in everyday lives as plastics are today. Everyone needed fuel to cook and heat their homes. It was used to make utensils such as cups and plates and tools such as spades, ploughs and carts. The Weald contains some of the oldest surviving domestic architecture in the country - houses built of oak from local woods.

The Forestry Commission took over the site in the 1920s and planted conifers for timber. The forest is now managed by Forestry England for multiple uses including timber, recreation and conservation. This presents an ideal opportunity to introduce visitors to the fascinating glimpses of the past remaining in the forest.

The full report can be seen at Cranbrook Museum or the Centre for Kentish Studies, Maidstone.