Port Meadow, Oxford
Port Meadow | ||
---|---|---|
Shire county | ||
Region | ||
Country | England | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom | |
Post town | Oxford | |
Postcode district | OX2 | |
Dialling code | 01865 | |
Police | Thames Valley | |
Fire | Oxfordshire | |
Ambulance | South Central | |
UK Parliament | ||
Website | Oxford City Council | |
Port Meadow is a large meadow of open common land beside the River Thames to the north and west of Oxford, England.[1]
Overview
The meadow is an ancient area of grazing land, still used for horses and cattle, and according to legend has never been ploughed, at least for around 4,000 years. It is said that in return for helping to defend the kingdom against the marauding
The meadow runs from
At the eastern edge of Port Meadow, just north of the entrance from Aristotle Lane, is
Port Meadow is one of the most popular locations in Oxford for recreation activities such as walking, running, cycling and swimming in the adjacent River Thames. During days of fair weather the banks of the River Thames in the Meadow are often lined with people enjoying the natural environs. The meadow is also popular with photographers and bird-watchers.
History
The River Thames (known as the
Because the meadow appears never to have been ploughed, it contains well-preserved archaeological remains, some of which survive as residual earthworks. Of particular note are several Bronze Age round barrows, an area of Iron Age settlement, and the foundations of 17th-century fortifications from the Parliamentary siege of Oxford during the English Civil War.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the meadow was used for horse racing, and low stone bridges laid over washes and ditches for this purpose still survive.[3]
During the First World War part of Port Meadow was used to train the Royal Flying Corps and turned into a military aerodrome. Fifteen air crew and pilots were killed flying from Port Meadow or close by.[4] In 1940, during the Second World War, a camp was set up on the meadow for military personnel evacuated from Dunkirk.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the meadow was known as a location for free festivals and raves.[5][6][7]
Just across the Thames is Bossoms Boatyard, with a small marina and Medley Footbridge across the Thames. The Medley Sailing Club, the furthest upstream sailing club on the River Thames, is on the western bank. To the south is the start of the Castle Mill Stream and Cripley Meadow, largely consisting of allotments.
Development
From 2012, the Oxford University Estates Directorate, with the help of Longcross, have been developing the 2½ acre (one-hectare) Castle Mill site between the Cripley Meadow Allotments and the railway tracks, close to the southern end of Port Meadow, as extensive student accommodation.[8][9] The development was controversial, since the four to five storey blocks overlook Port Meadow.[10] Campaigners warned of damage to views of Oxford.[11][12] There has been an online petition[13] and a "Save Port Meadow" campaign was established in December 2012.[14] Concerns were raised by the Oxford Preservation Trust and the Green Party.[15] The Oxford Times reported that "senior university members" were angry about the development, and that the impact had taken time to be realised.[16] The development was likened to building a "skyscraper beside Stonehenge".[17] In February 2013, Oxford City Council entered negotiations with Oxford University to reduce the height of the buildings by two storeys.[18] On 7 May 2013, the Campaign to Protect Rural England applied to the High Court for judicial review of the decision to grant planning permission on the grounds that requirements for a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) were not met.
In 2016, Oxford University proposed an array of mitigating techniques, including cladding and horizontal beams to "break up the vertical façade".[19] Later, changes were made to the buildings in an attempt to reduce their visual impact.
See also
- Port Meadow Halt, a former railway station on the Varsity Line
- Burgess Field Nature Park, to the east
- Cripley Meadow, to the south
- Trap Ground Allotments, to the east
- Wolvercote Common, to the north
- Binsey Poplars, an 1879 poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844–1889), written after the felling of a row of poplar trees on the River Thames overlooking Port Meadow
References
- ISBN 0-333-39917-X.
- ^ "Countryside and nature reserves – Burgess Field Nature Park". UK: Oxford City Council. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ^ Historic Port Meadow to get revamp[permanent dead link], The Oxford Times, 8 July 1998.
- ^ "Port Meadow Aerodrome, Oxfordshire: Challenges of Training with the Royal Flying Corps, World War One At Home". BBC. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
- ^ Oxford Free Festival 1986, UK Rock Festivals, July 2012.
- ^ UK Police Halt Rave Party Archived 31 January 2013 at archive.today, Party Vibe, 11 August 1998.
- ^ May Morning Tips, Road & Travel Magazine.
- ^ "Longcross at the University of Oxford, Castle Mill Phase 2 ∙ Innovation in action". www.longcross.co.uk. Longcross. Archived from the original on 24 February 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
- ^ "Longcross Secures Student Accommodation Project at Oxford University". www.longcross.co.uk. Longcross. July 2012. Archived from the original on 10 March 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
- ^ "City 'has to pay a price' to preserve Green Belt". The Oxford Times. 1 November 2012. pp. 1, 3.
- ^ Little, Reg (2 November 2012). "Save our famous views for hideous developments". The Oxford Times. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
- ^ Little, Reg (2 November 2012). "Save our famous views for hideous developments". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
- ^ Dhall, Sushila (2012), "Port Meadow, Oxford. Damaged views", www.thepetitionsite.com/850/008/830/port-meadow-oxford-damaged-views/, Care2petitionsite
- ^ "Save Port Meadow". WordPress. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
- ^ Little, Reg (1 November 2012). "Planning: Controversy over student flats at Roger Rudman Way —The battle of Port Meadow". The Oxford Times. p. 10.
- ^ "Tall storey". The Oxford Times. 1 November 2012. p. 32. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
- ^ Little, Reg (7 February 2013). "Historian takes university to task over 'visual disaster' of Port Meadow flats". The Oxford Times. p. 3.
- ^ Hughes, Pete (14 February 2013). "U-turn over meadow flats". The Oxford Times. p. 3.
- ^ "Designs to reduce visual harm of controversial flats "making the best of a bad job"".
External links
- Media related to Port Meadow, Oxford at Wikimedia Commons