Wild Oxford
Lye Valley by Andy Gunn
Wild Oxford
BBOWT was working in partnership with Oxford City Council and local community groups to create a more resilient network of wildlife habitats across the city which benefited Oxford’s natural heritage and improved people’s access to nature.
We want to inspire people of all ages to discover the wild green spaces in Oxford. Find out what’s going on in Oxford's parks and green spaces and enjoy the wild places in the city!
During the project BBOWT was
- running events for families throughout the city,
- organisinginteresting walks and talks,
- running workshops ontraditional conservation skills including coppicing, hedgelaying and scything,
- providing support to volunteer groups in the city.
We'd love to hear about your visits to these sites and any unusual wildlife sightings around Oxford. Tweet about them including@BBOWT and #WildOxford.
Discover Oxford's hidden gems
Learn more about the sites and the wildlife found within them.
Boundary Brook Nature Park
Boundary Brook Nature Park, Boundary Brook Road, OX4 4AN
Thirty years ago a group of community wildlife enthusiasts took over abandoned allotments in east Oxford with a vision to transform a scrap of urban wasteland into a nature reserve. In the years that followed the Oxford Urban Wildlife Group succeeded in creating this vibrant wildlife haven and community space here at Boundary Brook Nature Park.
This 3-acre urban wilderness offers a diverse range of habitats where nature has flourished. The park provides a valuable home to the rare brown hairstreak butterfly, a family of foxes have set up home in the wildlife garden, the ponds are home to frogs, dragonflies & newts, and the mixed woodland provides food & shelter for a variety of bird species.
Please visitOxford Urban Wildlife Group’s website for further details.
Chilswell Valley
Chilswell Path, South Hinksey, OX1 5AP
Take a short walk from South Hinksey, or a slightly longer walk from Abingdon Road, and you will stumble upon this wonderful gem of a reserve, known locally as Happy Valley!
Chilswell Valley may have got its name from "Child’s Well". It was believed that the spring which feeds the fen here had healing qualities for sick children, and also helped cure infertility.
A boardwalk takes you through a reedbed and fen and into a steep sided wet woodland with ancient gnarly oak and ash. From here you can follow the stream and walk back along the limestone grassland.
In the summer you will see a wonderful array of orchids, intriguing wild liquorice and other beautiful wild flowers.
You have every chance of catching sight of a sparrowhawk, or buzzard hunting around the reserve.
CS Lewis Nature Reserve
This tranquil woodland and large pond used to belong to celebrated Oxford author CS Lewis. It was said he enjoyed wandering here while writing his children's book series which includes The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. With the A40 nearby and surrounded by houses, it is a surprise that the reserve has kept its sense of stillness.
Iffley Meadows
These wet meadows crossed by old river channels with willow-lined ditches have a rich diversity of wildlife typical of old, unspoilt meadow land. They were once a widespread feature of our river systems, but many have been lost to drainage and farming.
The sight of thousands of purple and white chequered snake's-head fritillaries in flower at these ancient wet meadows each spring will take your breath away.
As a result of BBOWT's careful management of the site and controlled grazing, numbers of fritillaries have shot up from 500 to over 89,000 - a huge success story.
Lye Valley
169 The Slade, Headington, OX3 7HP
In Headington, surrounded by roads, hospitals and housing, is a truly remarkable piece of Oxford’s natural history – the Lye Valley! Take a walk down from the busy streets off The Slade and you will discover a land that time forgot.
This place was studied by Tudor botanists. Some of their plant samples can still be found at the Oxford University Herbarium today.
Parts of Lye Valley (most notably the fens) are designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and it's easy to see why!
The reserve has one of the best examples of a calcareous valley fen. It's noted for more than 300 plant species, including 20 that are on the Rare Plants of Oxfordshire register.
Take a walk around the reserve this summer and you will see orchids, the delicately striped flowers of Grass-of-Parnassus, lizards, slow-worms and a huge variety of birds.
To find out more - visit the Friends of Lye Valley web page.
Raleigh Park
Westminster Way Entrance: OX1 5AA
Just off the busy ring road between Botley and North Hinksey climb up to the top of the hill for spectacular views of Oxford.
A series of springs here once helped supply Oxford with Water and the remains of “ye olde conduit” can still be seen today.
Limestone grassland, calcareous fen and scrub make the site ideal for spotting wildflowers and a huge variety of birds. A stream and series of ponds make Raleigh park an ideal place to explore wetlands.
Please visit The Friends of Raleigh Park's website for further details.
Rivermead Nature Park
Rivermead Road, Rosehill, OX4 4UP
You might not expect to find this place in the middle of Rose Hill housing estate, blocked on two sides by the Southern Bypass, and with the River Thames on its other boundary. But sure enough this wonderful little piece of wilderness exists in the middle of an urban setting.
The pond here is notable for its vast of array of freshwater invertebrates. It’s also famous for the toads which make their way back here each year to spawn.
A tiny spring opens into a flush, which has formed a tiny fenland. The fen then disappears into the dense woodland while the water makes it way down to the Thames.
The hedge on the reserve boundary, which has recently been laid by local volunteers, offers a view of the reserve from the street. Why not venture down and see what’s over the hedge?
Sydlings Copse
The diversity of this small nature reserve near Barton is quite staggering. Boasting ancient broadleaved woodland, limestone grasslands, reedbed, fen, a stream and rare Oxfordshire heathland, the reserve supports over 400 plant species.
The site is also teeming with birds and insect life; butterflies include the purple hairstreak, brown hairstreak, common blue and marbled white.
Find out more about the Wild Oxford project's work at Rivermead Nature Park
Get involved with the Wild Oxford Project
Help the local community groups to manage The Wild Oxford sites as a volunteer for the project - they are currently looking for people to help at work parties and events.
Boundary Brook Nature Park volunteer dates
Please visitOxford Urban Wildlife Group's website for details on volunteer opportunities.
Chilswell Valley volunteer dates
The groups meets on a Monday from 10am to 1pm over the Autumn and Winter, and less frequently in Spring and Summer
Please contactvolunteering@bbowt.org.uk for more details.
Lye Valley volunteer dates
Weekly work parties
Run from 9-11am on Wednesdays.
Please contact The Friends of Lye Valley for more details
Raleigh Park volunteer dates
The group meet monthly to take part in practical conservation work, please contactvolunteering@bbowt.org.uk for further information
Rivermead Nature Park volunteer dates
Currently looking for new volunteer leaders, if you think this could be you pleaseemail Friends of Rivermead
Sydlings Copse volunteer dates
The Sydlings Copse conservation group meets on a Friday but is currently full and unable to accept new volunteers
Thanks to a grant from Thames Water, we were able to do more for wildlife and people at Rivermead Nature Park
Read the Wild Oxford project reports
Dr Judy Webb's most recent reports for Chilswell Valley, Lye Valley, Raleigh Park and Rivermead Nature Park are available to download below.
Chilswell Valley
Lye Valley
Rivermead Nature Park
Wild Oxford project partners
The Wild Oxford project was run by BBOWT in partnership withFriends of Lye Valley,Friends of Raleigh Park, Oxford City Council, Oxford Conservation Volunteers,Oxford Urban Wildlife Group and Oxford Preservation Trust.
We would like to thank the following organisations for their financial support:
Oxford Festival of Nature Garden for Wildlife by Ric Mellis
Lye Valley by Andy Gunn
Kingfisher by Jon Hawkins - Surrey Hills Photography
Sydlings Copse by Andy Fairbairn
Common lizard by Andy Fairbairn
Redwing by Margaret Holland
The River Cherwell running through Banbury's Spiceball Park by Judith Verdon
Join the Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust
Joining your local Wildlife Trust is the best thing you can do to help wildlife in your area. We rely on the support of people like you to help us protect the wildlife and wild places of our three counties.