Cutteslowe Park, Oxford

Last updated

Wild Iris, Cutteslowe Park Cutteslowe-iris.jpg
Wild Iris, Cutteslowe Park

Cutteslowe Park is a public park in Cutteslowe in North Oxford, England. It was established in 1936 [1] when Oxford City Council acquired land of the former Cutteslowe Manor farm, whose house still stands at its centre. More land was acquired in 1937 and 1938, including purchases from the Dean and Chaplain of Westminster. The original manor house dates from at least the mid-17th century, being shown on a 1670s map by Michael Burghers.

Contents

To the north and east the park is bounded by working farmland, while it is bordered to the West by 1960s–70s housing developments of Cutteslowe.

Sunnymead park, just inside the north-east arc of the Oxford ring-road, was once a council tip which was covered and reconditioned from the 1980s onwards. In 2006 Oxford City Council united the two parks, which now form a single administrative unit called Cutteslowe and Sunnymead Park.

Overview

Cutteslowe Park has herbaceous borders and despite disease damage during 2009-2012[ citation needed ] there remained many horse chestnut trees, until most of them were removed in 2017 by the City Council's order owing to concerns that after a disease their branches could possibly become fragile and pose danger. [2] Until further disease management in 2010 and early 2011, the park also contained some superb examples of White Willow trees.

The park has a children's play area, crazy golf, duck pond, beach volleyball court, and tennis courts. There is a miniature steam railway run by the City of Oxford Society of Model Engineers. [3]

Purchases of farmland by the City Council in 1937-8 gave the park a large recreation ground on its east side, used for football and rugby in autumn and winter. The increased size of the park enabled the creation of a "Peace Mile": a running circuit that encompasses most of the perimeter of the park, inaugurated in 1985 by world harmony advocate Sri Chinmoy and the then Mayor of Oxford. The peace mile is popular with runners and in summer short running races are held around it by Sri Chinmoy Athletics Club. The park has also been the location of the Oxford parkrun since November 2011.

A public footpath cuts diagonally across the lower recreation ground, originating on the line of an ancient drovers' path, part of which is still visible at its southern extent for about 100 yards (91 m), bisected by the A40, the Northern Bypass. This linked Water Eaton and Oxford, and a short section of this path (at the bottom of Harpes Road, Islip Road and Victoria Road in North Oxford) is called Water Eaton Road. Further south this becomes a footpath and cycle route from Lonsdale Road, and it emerges near the Cherwell School.

Community interest

In the 1980s the condition of the former council dump within the ring-road inspired the creation of a ‘Cutteslowe/Sunnymead Group’ of local residents, which worked with the City Council to clear fly-tipping, create a sports zone, improve wildlife areas and paths and generally transform the site. On 21 February 2007 the Friends of Cutteslowe and Sunnymead Park [4] was formed "to promote the access, positive management and enhancement of the park and its facilities for the benefit of the local community and wider general public".

Wind turbine proposal

In November 2009 a city council proposal to lease an area of the park to an energy management company for the construction of a wind turbine was challenged by the Friends, who felt that fuller community engagement should first be sought. [5] Eventually, the proposal was not implemented because of concerns about impacts on RAF flying on the approach to Brize Norton airbase, to the west of the area.

Related Research Articles

Footpath Thoroughfare for pedestrians

A footpath is a type of thoroughfare that is intended for use only by pedestrians and not other forms of traffic such as motorized vehicles, cycles, and horses. They can be found in a wide variety of places, from the centre of cities, to farmland, to mountain ridges. Urban footpaths are usually paved, may have steps, and can be called alleys, lanes, steps, etc.

Polegate Human settlement in England

Polegate is a town and civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England, United Kingdom. It is located five miles (8 km) north of the seaside resort of Eastbourne and is part of the greater area of that town. Although once a railway settlement, its rail links were closed as part of the Beeching cuts. The 2011 census put the civil parish of Polegate at a population of 8,586, with 41.2% aged 65 and over.

Forest Recreation Ground

The Forest Recreation Ground is an open space and recreation ground in Nottingham, England, approximately one mile north of the city centre. This urban space is bounded by the neighbourhoods of Forest Fields to the north, Mapperley Park to the east, Arboretum to the south and Hyson Green to the west. It is best known as the site of the city's famous annual Goose Fair.

Clifton Down

Clifton Down is an area of public open space in Bristol, England, north of the village of Clifton. With its neighbour Durdham Down to the northeast, it constitutes the large area known as The Downs, much used for leisure including walking and team sports. Clifton Down is the part of the Downs south of Stoke Road.

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts Village in Massachusetts, United States

Chestnut Hill is an affluent New England village located six miles (9.7 km) west of downtown Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Like all Massachusetts villages, Chestnut Hill is an incorporated municipal entity. It is located partially in Brookline in Norfolk County; partially in the city of Boston in Suffolk County, and partially in the city of Newton in Middlesex County. Chestnut Hill's borders are defined by the 02467 ZIP Code. The name refers to several small hills that overlook the 135-acre Chestnut Hill Reservoir rather than one particular hill. Chestnut Hill is best known as the home of Boston College and as part of the Boston Marathon route.

Strawberry Trail

The Strawberry Trail is a 15-mile footpath through Hampshire, England

New Hall Valley Country Park

New Hall Valley Country Park is a country park located in New Hall Valley between Walmley, Wylde Green and Pype Hayes in the Sutton Coldfield area of north Birmingham. It is the first new country park in the UK for over a decade. The park is split into "phases".

The London Borough of Bexley owns and maintains over 100 parks and open spaces within its boundaries, with a total of 638 hectares. They include small gardens, river and woodland areas, and large parks with many sporting and other facilities.

North Oxford Human settlement in England

North Oxford is a suburban part of the city of Oxford in England. It was owned for many centuries largely by St John's College, Oxford and many of the area's Victorian houses were initially sold on leasehold by the College.

Bedfords Park

Bedfords Park is public open space of 215 acres or approximately 87½ hectares near Havering-atte-Bower in the London Borough of Havering in England. It is one of three large parklands around Havering-atte-Bower; the others are Havering Country Park and Pyrgo Park.

Colmworth Human settlement in England

Colmworth is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Bedford in the county of Bedfordshire, England about 6.5 miles (10 km) north-east of Bedford.

Wanstead Park

Wanstead Park is a municipal park covering an area of about 140 acres, in Wanstead, in the London Borough of Redbridge. It is also a district of the London Borough of Redbridge, which was in Essex until 1965. The park is bordered to the north by the A12 road, to the east by the River Roding and A406 North Circular Road, to the south by the Aldersbrook Estate, the site of the former Wanstead Sewage Works and the City of London Cemetery and Crematorium and to the west by Wanstead Golf Course. It is administered as part of Epping Forest by the City of London Corporation, having been purchased by the Corporation in 1880 from Henry Wellesley, 1st Earl Cowley. Today's park once formed part of the deer park of the former manor house of ancient Wanstead Manor, which included much of the urbanised area now known as Wanstead. The present park retains some of the layout of its former existence as Wanstead House's grounds, though the park's western boundary lies some 330 yards east of the house's site. In 1992 a Management Plan was initiated to try to re-establish something of the formality of the grounds of a "Great House".

Heavers Meadow

Heavers Meadow is a meadow located in South Norwood and Selhurst in the London Borough of Croydon. South Norwood Recreation Ground is on the other side of the road. The meadow covers an area of 83⁄4 acres. With meadows there are not usually many facilities. Heavers is no exception; the only facility stated on the council's website is a footpath through a flood meadow.

Tilgate Park Recreational park in Crawley, England

Tilgate Park is a large recreational park situated south of Tilgate, South-East Crawley. It is the largest and most popular park in the area.

Fryent Country Park

Fryent Country Park, together with Barn Hill Open Space, is a large park situated in the north of the London Borough of Brent. It covers 103 hectares of rolling fields and small woods.

Kincraig Lake Ecological Reserve

Kincraig Lake Ecological Reserve is a wildlife reserve located in Bispham in Blackpool on the Fylde coast, Lancashire, England. It is owned by Blackpool Council.

Darent Valley Path

The waymarked path Darent Valley Path is 19 miles (31 km) long, following the River Darent from the banks of the River Thames at Dartford through the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to the Greensand Hills above Sevenoaks. It runs through the villages of Shoreham and Otford.

Old Court House Recreation Ground

Old Court House Recreation Ground is a public park in High Barnet in the London Borough of Barnet. It is one of the borough's Premier Parks and received a Green Flag Award for 2009–2010.

Manor House Gardens

Manor House Gardens is a 3.34-hectare public park and gardens situated in Lee, in south east London. The park features a walled flower garden, ornamental pond, fountain, ice-house, cafeteria, children's playground, community garden, dog-walking area and tennis courts/multi-purpose sports pitches. There is also a Park Ranger's Office and information point adjacent to the cafe, and the River Quaggy flows from east to west across the southern part of the park.

Latchmere Recreation Ground, Kingston upon Thames

Latchmere Recreation Ground is a public open space with playing fields and a children's playground in the north of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames.

References

  1. ↑ Oxford City Council (2009). Cutteslowe Park Management Plan, 2006 (rev 2009).
  2. ↑ "Horse chestnuts set for the chop after deadly infection".
  3. ↑ City of Oxford Society of Model Engineers Archived 2008-09-17 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ Friends of Cutteslowe and Sunnymead Park
  5. ↑ "Concern over Wind Turbine". Oxford Times. Retrieved 8 November 2009.

Coordinates: 51°47′21″N1°15′32″W / 51.78924°N 1.25879°W / 51.78924; -1.25879

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.