Trap Grounds | |
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View of the Trap Grounds | |
Location within Oxfordshire | |
OS grid reference | SP 503 081 |
Civil parish |
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District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | Oxford |
Postcode district | OX2 6XW |
Dialling code | 01865 |
Police | Thames Valley |
Fire | Oxfordshire |
Ambulance | South Central |
UK Parliament | |
Website | trap-grounds.org.uk |
The Trap Grounds (aka Trap Grounds Town Green) is a nature reserve in north Oxford, Oxfordshire, [1] England, owned by Oxford City Council. [2] [3] [4]
The site is to the east of the railway line and the Burgess Field Nature Park, to the west of the Oxford Canal and Hayfield Road in North Oxford, south of Frenchay Road and the Waterways housing estate, and north of SS Philip and James' Church of England Primary School and Aristotle Lane. Further to the west are Port Meadow and the River Thames. Further to the north is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Hook Meadow, and the Trap Grounds. Also close by are the separately organized trap ground allotments. [5] [6] The original trap grounds were much more extensive, [7] [8] including Burgess Field, but the present site is now largely surrounded by built-up suburbs of Oxford.
The area is on a reclaimed trash dump site and is approximately 3.8 hectares (9.4 acres) in size. [2] The site consists of woodland, reed beds, ponds, some grassy areas, and paths, including a boardwalk. There is a single point of entry to the site immediately to the south of Frenchay Road Bridge on the canal. Wildlife on the site includes slow worms. [9]
In 2002, there was a public inquiry about converting the Trap Grounds, which was owned by the city council of Oxford at the time, to a town green. [10] This inquiry would have made the trap grounds open and accessible for public use. In 2003, a court considered another bid for the Trap Grounds to become a town green, this time as a preamble for a bid to develop the land into housing units. [11] Later in 2005–06, a case involving Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford City Council to decide the future of the Trap Grounds was decided in the House of Lords. [12] [13] In 2007, Catherine Robinson of The Friends of the Trap Grounds was awarded the Campaign to Protect Rural England's top honor for protecting the Trap Grounds from development. [14] In 2010, a new walkway was created on the site. [15] In 2012, there was a discussion on how much access there should be to the site. [16]
The Friends of the Trap Grounds is a volunteer organization that helps to maintain the Trap Grounds. [17]
Oxford is a city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. Founded in the 8th century, it was granted city status in 1542. The city is located at the confluence of the rivers Thames and Cherwell. It had a population of 162,100 at the 2021 census. It is 56 miles (90 km) north-west of London, 64 miles (103 km) south-east of Birmingham and 61 miles (98 km) north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the oldest university in the English-speaking world; it has buildings in every style of English architecture since late Anglo-Saxon. Oxford's industries include motor manufacturing, education, publishing, information technology and science.
Iffley is a village in a designated conservation area in Oxfordshire, England. It lies within the boundaries of the city of Oxford, between Cowley and the estates of Rose Hill and Donnington, and in proximity to the River Thames (Isis). A notable feature is its largely unchanged Norman church, St Mary the Virgin, which has a modern stained glass Nativity window designed by John Piper and another window designed by Roger Wagner. The church is a Grade I listed building.
Port Meadow is a large meadow of open common land beside the River Thames to the north and west of Oxford, England.
Otmoor RSPB Reserve is a nature reserve, managed by the RSPB, between Beckley and Oddington, within the wider area of Otmoor, in Oxfordshire, England. The reserve was established in 1997 and restored large areas of marshland from what had previously been farmland. The RSPB reserve covers around 1,000 acres (400 ha).
The London Borough of Ealing, one of the outer London boroughs although not on the periphery, has over 100 parks and open spaces within its boundaries. These include allotments, cemeteries, playgrounds, and golf courses in addition to the larger open spaces such as nature conservation areas.
Founded in 1967, Earth Trust is an environmental charity which was originally known as the Northmoor Trust for Countryside Conservation. Earth Trust was initially established by the British engineer Sir Martin Wood to promote environmental conservation through land management, education, and land science. It is a registered charity under English law.
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Warneford Meadow is an area of 20 acres (8.1 ha) 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 for over 50 years.
Weston Otmoor was a proposed new eco-town in the north of Oxfordshire, England, in countryside to the east of the village of Weston-on-the-Green. It would have been next to Junction 9 of the M40 motorway and 7 miles (11 km) north of Oxford and was one of 15 bids shortlisted by the Department of Communities and Local Government on 3 April 2008. Eco-towns were subject to a consultation by the Department of Communities and Local Government ending 30 June 2008.
Frenchay Road is a residential road in Walton Manor, North Oxford, England.
The Waterways is housing estate in North Oxford, England. The Oxford Canal runs through the centre of the estate and it is bounded on the east by the Cherwell Valley railway line. To the west beyond the railway line are Port Meadow and the River Thames. The estate begins in the south as a continuation of Frenchay Road, part of Victorian North Oxford, and as Elizabeth Jennings Way connects with the Woodstock Road (A4144) at the northern end of the estate.
Aristotle Lane is a road in north Oxford, England.
Hayfield Road is a residential road that runs north-south in Walton Manor, north Oxford, England.
Castle Mill is a graduate housing complex of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England.
Cripley Meadow lies between the Castle Mill Stream, a backwater of the River Thames, and the Cotswold Line railway to the east, and Fiddler's Island, on the main branch of the Thames to the west, in Oxford, England. It is to the south of the better known Port Meadow, a large meadow of common land. To the south is Sheepwash Channel which connects the Oxford Canal with the River Thames.
Fisher's Field is a 1.8 hectare Local Nature Reserve (LNR) in Bushey in Hertfordshire. It is owned and managed by Hertsmere Borough Council.
Bedelands Farm Nature Reserve is a 35.2-hectare (87-acre) Local Nature Reserve on the northern outskirts of Burgess Hill in West Sussex. It is owned and managed by Mid Sussex District Council. It site within the parish of Ansty and Staplefield. Since 1994, in consultation with the District Council and the University of Sussex, the Friends group have managing the area and for conservation of the flora and fauna and the public’s enjoyment. The Nature Reserve is a Site of Nature Conservation Importance (SNCI) and treasured by the local community. The richness of the area for wildlife is under threat by the encroaching housing developments of the Northern Arc and the pressures dog walking and other activities local housing will bear on the area.
Burgess Field Nature Park is a nature reserve next to Port Meadow, Oxford, in Oxfordshire, England, managed by Oxford City Council.
Hook Meadow and The Trap Grounds is a 11.9-hectare (29-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest on the northern outskirts of Oxford in Oxfordshire.