Warneford Meadow is an area of of natural
grassland immediately south-east of the
Warneford Hospital, in
Headington, east
Oxford,
England. The Warneford Meadow is a wild space within urban Oxford. The area has been used by local residents as a
public space for
recreation
Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasur ...
for over 50 years.
History
Warneford Meadow was purchased in 1918 by the
Warneford Hospital, a
psychiatric hospital, following the sale of the adjacent Southfield Farm. The purchase was funded by public subscription, with the aim of providing natural green space for the psychological benefit of patients and the local community.
Archaeological trenching performed in 2006 suggested a
Roman or
pre-Roman settlement, or area of
pottery production, in the area of the present meadow.
Geography
Access to the Meadow is gained from either a lane off Hill Top Road, beside the Southfield Park Golf Club, or Roosevelt Drive opposite the 'Little Oxford' housing development (beside the Headington Care Home). The Meadow slopes gradually down from the Hill Top Road end, towards the Boundary Brook, which runs between the Meadow and the
Churchill Hospital
The Churchill Hospital is a teaching hospital in Oxford, England. It is managed by the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
History
The original hospital on the site was built in 1940 with the intention of providing medical aid to ...
to the East. Several public paths run across the Meadow. South of the Meadow is the Southfield Park Golf Club and the Meadow is bounded to the west by homes on Hill Top Road. Warneford Meadow also includes an orchard, on the northern border of the Meadow with the
Warneford Hospital.
Biodiversity
The Meadow contains species of
butterfly,
invertebrates, and birds including
skylarks and
kingfishers. The Meadow forms part of the 'green corridor' which links South Park to the
Thames via Boundary Brook. The Meadow's border hedges include
blackberries. The Warneford Orchard on the northern edge of the Meadow is over 50 years old and has varieties of apple including the Russian ''Emperor Alexander''.
Owls
Owls are birds from the Order (biology), order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly Solitary animal, solitary and Nocturnal animal, nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vi ...
,
bats, and
badgers are also found in the orchard.
Development
Development of the Meadow is permitted under the Oxford Local Plan 2001–2016. The
(OBMH) submitted two outline planning applications in July 2006, regarding the Meadow. The primary reason for the development, stated by the OBMH management, was the desire to generate capital for the Trust, in order to upgrade patient facilities. In answer to a parliamentary question about the assets of the United Kingdom's
NHS as a whole
Liam Byrne, the
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the
Department of Health, revealed that the 'surplus' land at the Warneford Hospital was worth £30,900,000.
The plans for development met with substantial opposition from local residents, led by nearby Residents Associations and the action group 'Friends of Warneford Meadow'.
An application to have the land registered as a
Town or Village Green (under section 22 of the
Commons Registration Act 1965, amended by section 98 of the
Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000). was launched in December 2006.
The application was successful, and Warneford Meadow was designated as a Town Green in April 2009. Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust challenged the decision in the High Court; the action commenced in February 2010. In March 2010 the High Court upheld the original decision to register the meadow as a Town Green.
Gallery
File:Boundary Brook.jpg, Boundary Brook and surrounding fields at around the time the Meadow became part of the Warneford Hospital.
File:Boundary Brookand Lye Valley.jpg, Lye Valley near the Meadow during the same time period.
File:warneford_map.jpg, Warneford Hospital map from 1899, the Meadow is just to the south-east of the Hospital.
References
External links
Friends of Warneford Meadow website
;Additional information
– on Warneford Meadow
The Open Space Society– a UK conservation society supporting the Town Green application
The OBMH
– outlining their position, 20 November 2007
The Oxford County Council Local Plan
{{Coord, 51, 44, 57, N, 1, 13, 09, W, type:forest_region:GB, display=title
1918 establishments in England
Parks and open spaces in Oxford
Grasslands of the United Kingdom
Meadows in Oxfordshire
2010 controversies