sHOTOVER COUNTRY PARK
Shotover Country Park is 117ha of woodland and other habitats just four miles east from Oxford City Centre. It was once part of the Royal Forest of Shotover, however during the Civil War, this forest was severely deforested due to timber demands.
In 1908, the Rev. A. H. Johnson bought part of the forest for the University, on condition that it remain open to the public forever. Despite changing hands to the Oxford City Council, Shotover Country Park has remained an open, free site for the surrounding community. Shotover now attracts 600,000 users per year, with opportunities of horse riding, biking, jogging, walking on nature trails and playing in the natural sandpit.
Along with a rich history, the geology, flora and fauna of Shotover Country Park is incredibly diverse. The Park is located on sandy soils, deposited there at the end of the Pleistocene Ice Age. As woodland was cleared, marshes and heathland formed, along with an absence of livestock grazing giving rise to bracken landscapes. Restoration and preservation of these landscapes, along with the flora and fauna within them, has become an important part of Shotover Country Park. Shotover recently was labelled as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), along with nearby Brasenose Wood.
In 1908, the Rev. A. H. Johnson bought part of the forest for the University, on condition that it remain open to the public forever. Despite changing hands to the Oxford City Council, Shotover Country Park has remained an open, free site for the surrounding community. Shotover now attracts 600,000 users per year, with opportunities of horse riding, biking, jogging, walking on nature trails and playing in the natural sandpit.
Along with a rich history, the geology, flora and fauna of Shotover Country Park is incredibly diverse. The Park is located on sandy soils, deposited there at the end of the Pleistocene Ice Age. As woodland was cleared, marshes and heathland formed, along with an absence of livestock grazing giving rise to bracken landscapes. Restoration and preservation of these landscapes, along with the flora and fauna within them, has become an important part of Shotover Country Park. Shotover recently was labelled as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), along with nearby Brasenose Wood.