Burgess Field Nature Park

Burgess Field Nature Park (also known as Burgess Field) is a nature reserve next to Port Meadow, Oxford, in Oxfordshire, England, managed by Oxford City Council.[1][2]

Burgess Field Nature Park
The southern entrance of the nature reserve
Burgess Field Nature Park is located in Oxford
Burgess Field Nature Park
Burgess Field Nature Park
Burgess Field Nature Park is located in Oxfordshire
Burgess Field Nature Park
Burgess Field Nature Park
Location within Oxfordshire
OS grid referenceSP 49725 07491
Civil parish
  • unparished
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townOxford
Postcode districtOX2 0NL
Dialling code01865
PoliceThames Valley
FireOxfordshire
AmbulanceSouth Central
UK Parliament
Websitefriendsofburgessfield.co.uk

Overview

The site is between Port Meadow to the west and the railway line to the east, just north of the Aristotle Lane entrance to Port Meadow and the Trap Ground Allotments.[3][4] The reserve is on a reclaimed landfill site and is approximately 30 hectares (74 acres) in area.[1][2] There are open grass areas, some woodland, and a path around the edge of the site, as well as some paths crossing the site. Wildlife includes birds such as cuckoo,[5] short-eared owl[6] and jack snipe.[6]

The site was used for landfill until the 1980s and is thus higher than Port Meadow, which regularly floods. The area was landscaped, with trees and hedge planting in the 1990s. The name may derive from the burgesses who endowed Godstow Nunnery with land.[7]

John Thompson
John Thompson memorial stone

The site includes a memorial stone to John Thompson (1941–2015), the city of Oxford's landscape architect,[8] who inspired the nature reserve and planted over 10,000 trees in Oxford.[9]

Friends of Burgess Field

There is a Friends of Burgess Field organization, formed in 2018.[7] Volunteers help to maintain the site.[10]

See also

References
  1. "Countryside and nature reserves – Burgess Field Nature Park". UK: Oxford City Council. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  2. "Burgess Field Nature Park, North Oxford". Nature Reserves. UK: Oxford Conservation Volunteers. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  3. "Allotments – Trap Grounds, Aristotle Lane". UK: Oxford City Council. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  4. "Location". Trap Ground Allotment Association. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  5. "Burgess Field". The Oxford Guide. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  6. "Planning Application 02/00821/OUT" (PDF). Oxford City Council. 9 January 2003. p. 71. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  7. "History". UK: Friends of Burgess. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  8. Stein, John (2 February 2016). "John Thompson obituary". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  9. "Oxford people stones: John Thompson, Burgess Field". History on the streets of Oxford. UK. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  10. "Nature Conservation day at Burgess Field". Oxfordshire, UK: Community Action Groups. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
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