Part of Kennel deer park boundary, Kielder. Photo by Northumberland County Council.

The remains of a medieval deer park are thought to lie within the forests around Kielder Water reservoir. Traces of its enclosure survive as a bank of large boulders and stones. In places substantial masonry blocks standing up to five courses high have been recorded. The park is known from post-medieval maps from the 18th and 19th centuries but might have its origins in the medieval period. It may be associated with the kings of Scotland and date back to the 12th or 13th centuries. A hunting lodge was recorded lower down the valley at Donkleywood in the 12th century and the Bellingham family are known to have been the king's foresters.