Christ Church Meadow is a flood-meadow and popular walking and picnic spot in

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, England. Roughly triangular in shape, it is bounded by the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

(the stretch through Oxford being known as "

The Isis "The Isis" ( ) is an alternative name for the River Thames, used from its source in the Cotswolds until it is joined by the River Thame at Dorchester-on-Thames, Dorchester in Oxfordshire. Notably, the Isis flows through Oxford and has given i ...

"), the River Cherwell, and Christ Church. The meadow provides access to many of the college

boathouse A boathouse (or a boat house) is a building especially designed for the storage of boats, normally smaller craft for sports or leisure use. describing the facilities These are typically located on open water, such as on a river. Often the boats ...

s, which are on an island at the confluence of the two rivers. The lower sections of the meadow, close to the Thames, are grazed by cattle (including Longhorn cows) while the upper sections have sports fields. Broad Walk is at the northern edge with Merton Field to the north and

Merton College Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor ...

, dominated by the tower of Merton College Chapel, beyond that. Christ Church Meadow is owned by Christ Church, and is thus the private property of the college; however, access is allowed during the day. Access starts very early to allow rowers to go to the boathouses. Eights Week and Torpids,

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

's two main rowing events, and Christ Church Regatta are held on the Thames here. In past times, ornamental wooden

barge A barge is typically a flat-bottomed boat, flat-bottomed vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. Original use was on inland waterways, while modern use is on both inland and ocean, marine water environments. The firs ...

s were moored on the river here to store boats and house spectators. However, these have all now been replaced by boathouses. The meadow can be accessed from St Aldate's to the northwest via Broad Walk through the Christ Church War Memorial Garden, from the north in Merton Street via Grove Walk and Merton Walk, and from the eastern end of the

High Street High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...

via Rose Lane near the

Oxford Botanic Garden The University of Oxford Botanic Garden is the oldest Botanical garden, botanic garden in Great Britain and one of the oldest scientific gardens in the world. The garden was founded in 1621 as a physic garden growing plants for medicinal resear ...

to the northeast. There is also less-used access from near the Head of the River public house by

Folly Bridge Folly Bridge is a stone bridge over the River Thames carrying the Abingdon Road south from the centre of Oxford, England. It was erected in 1825–27, to designs of a little-known architect, Ebenezer Perry (died 1850), who practised in London. ...

on the River Thames to the southwest, connecting to Poplar Walk (created by

Henry Liddell Henry George Liddell (; 6 February 1811– 18 January 1898) was Dean (college), dean (1855–1891) of Christ Church, Oxford, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University (1870–1874), headmaster (1846–1855) of Westminster School (where a house is n ...

in 1872) and the path by the river. All entrances are via railinged gates that are locked at night. James Sadler made the first ascent in a balloon by an Englishman from the Meadow on 4 October 1784. The balloon rose to a height of around 3,600 feet and landed six miles away near the village of Wood Eaton near

Islip Islip may refer to: Places England * Islip, Northamptonshire *Islip, Oxfordshire * Islip Manor Meadows United States *Islip, New York, a town in Suffolk County ** Islip (hamlet), New York, located in the above town **Central Islip, New York ...

to the northeast of Oxford. A plaque notes the event. The Meadow was also the location where the medieval royal pretender John Deydras claimed to have been persuaded by the devil to impersonate

Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also known as Edward of Caernarfon or Caernarvon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir to the throne follo ...

in 1318. Postwar development planned for central Oxford included a relief road passing through the meadow and joining the district of St Ebbe's. The proposal was finally defeated in 1971 after vigorous opposition.

Gallery

File:The Christ Church Meadow adjacent to the Meadow Building.jpg, The Meadow Building of Christ Church as seen from Broad Walk on the far northwestern corner of the Christ Church Meadow File:Rowing on the Isis.JPG, Rowing on

the Isis "The Isis" ( ) is an alternative name for the River Thames, used from its source in the Cotswolds until it is joined by the River Thame at Dorchester-on-Thames, Dorchester in Oxfordshire. Notably, the Isis flows through Oxford and has given i ...

at Christ Church Meadow File:The Great Tower from the rear of the Meadow.jpg, A view of the Great Tower, Magdalen College, from the north eastern edge of the Christ Church Meadow, near its border with the

File:The Christ Church Meadow from the south east.jpg, A view from the Christ Church Meadow looking north east towards the Great Tower of Magdalen College File:Merton college2.jpg, View north of

from Christ Church Meadow across Merton Field File:Merton College from across the Christ Church Meadow.jpg, View north of Merton College from across Merton Field north of Christ Church Meadow

References

External links

Christ Church Meadow
information from

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...

{{coord , 51.748, -1.252, region:GB, display=title Parks and open spaces in Oxford Parks and open spaces on the River Thames University of Oxford sites Water-meadows

Meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non- woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as they maintain an open character. Meadows can occur naturally under favourable con ...

Grasslands of the United Kingdom Meadows in Oxfordshire

Gallery

References

Further reading

External links