Otmoor
OtmoororOt Mooris an area ofwetlandand wetgrasslandinOxfordshire,England, located halfway betweenOxfordandBicester.It is about 60 metres (200 ft) above sea level, and has an area of nearly 400 hectares (990 acres).
It is encircled by the"Seven Towns" of Otmoor:Beckley,Noke,Oddington,Charlton-on-Otmoor,Fencott,MurcottandHorton-cum-Studley.
Part of it is a nature reserve,RSPB Otmoor,which adjoins a Ministry of Defence firing range, which is part of aSite of Special Scientific Interest.
History
[edit]Bisected north–south by theRoman RoadbetweenAlchesterandDorchester-on-Thames,its name is derived from theOld Englishfor "Otta's Fen".
Enclosure
[edit]Watered by theRiver Ray,it was until the early 19th century unenclosed marshland, and regularly flooded in winter. AnEnclosure Actwas passed in 1815, under which the area was extensively drained. This disadvantaged the local farmers and led to civil disturbances known as the Otmoor Riots of 1829–30.
Military range
[edit]In 1920 theRoyal Air Forceacquired Otmoor for use as abombing range.[1]Part of the moor remains in military use as arifle range,and is also a large part of Otmoor Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).[2][3]
Motorway to nature reserve
[edit]The semi-wetland landscape provided habitat for many rare species of birds and butterflies. These were threatened in 1980 by a government proposal for the route of theM40 motorwayto cross Otmoor. Opposition to the motorway was led byFriends of the Earthand included the "Alice's Meadow"campaign.[4]The government eventually adopted an alternative route.
Since 1997 a large part of Otmoor has been made anRSPB nature reserve,with large areas of land being returned to marshland. Immediately east of the RSPB reserve is Otmoor SSSI.
51°49′19″N1°10′47″W/ 51.82194°N 1.17972°W
References
[edit]- ^Lobel, Mary D,ed. (1957). "Beckley".A History of the County of Oxford.Victoria County History.Vol. 5: Bullingdon Hundred. pp. 56–76.
- ^"Otmoor citation"(PDF).Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England.Retrieved15 August2018.
- ^"Map of Otmoor".Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England.Retrieved24 March2016.
- ^Evans, Paul (2009-04-01)."Diversionary tactics - the imaginative campaigns protecting the countryside from developers".The Guardian.London.Retrieved2010-03-26.
Further reading
[edit]- Brown, A. V. (1957)."The Last Phase of the Enclosure of Otmoor"(PDF).Oxoniensia.XXXII.Oxford Architectural and Historical Society:34–52.
- Emery, Frank (1974).Hoskins, W. G.(ed.).The Oxfordshire Landscape.The Making of the English Landscape. London:Hodder & Stoughton.pp.156–158, 223.ISBN0-340-04301-6.
External links
[edit]- 'Starlings on Otmoor'video