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Oxleas Wood

Coordinates:51°28′01″N0°03′58″E/ 51.467°N 0.066°E/51.467; 0.066
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused withOxleys Wood.
Oxleas Woodlands
Site of Special Scientific Interest
LocationGreater London
Grid referenceTQ442760
InterestBiological
Area72.7 hectares
Notification1984
Location mapMagic Map

Oxleas Woodis one of the few remaining areas of ancientdeciduousforestinElthamin theRoyal Borough of Greenwich(with a small amount passing over the boundary into theLondon Borough of Bexley), in southeastLondon.Some parts date back over 8,000 years to the end of thelast ice age,theYounger Dryas.[1]It is part of a larger continuous area of woodland and parkland on the south side ofShooter's Hill:other parts are Jack Wood, Castle Wood (home toSeverndroog Castle), Oxleas Meadows, Falconwood Field, Eltham Common and Eltham Park North (the latter being divided by theA2main road from its southern section). Eltham Park North includes the ancient Shepherdleas Wood.

Pond on the south side of Oxleas Wood

History

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In 1311, the Royal manor ofElthamwas established and this included the woods. The woods were leased toSir John Shaw, 2nd Baronet,from crown occupation in 1679. His family managed them until 1811, when they were taken over by the War Department. The woods were then acquired by theLondon County Councilfor the use of public recreation in 1930, and then opened to the public in 1934. Ownership then passed from theGreater London Councilto the Borough of Greenwich on abolition of the GLC in 1986.[2]

In 1993 plans for anEast London River Crossingthat would have cut through Oxleas Wood were withdrawn following opposition from local residents.[3][4][5]People Against the River Crossing (PARC), theroad protestgroup formed to oppose the crossing, comprised local residents, with support from established environmental organisations,radical environmentalistsand pagans. The campaign's objective was to halt the road scheme, by using all possible means within the established institutional framework. This involved 2 public inquiries and PARC's complaint to the European Commission, reinforced by legal action in conjunction with Greenwich Council, which led to the abandonment of the road project.[6][7]Over 3,000 people and organisations signed a pledge in which they promised to engage incivil disobedienceto defend the woodland.[8]

Description

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Trees in the Jack Wood area of Oxleas

Oxleas Wood, Jack Wood and Shepherdleas Wood are aSite of Special Scientific Interestcalled Oxleas Woodlands, covering 72hectareswithoak,silver birch,hornbeam,coppicehazel,and a great number of fine samples of theWild Service Tree.[9][10]A larger area including Eltham Common is designated aLocal Nature Reservecalled Oxleas/Shooters Hill Woodlands.[11][12]

The site covers most of the top ofShooters Hill(in the Royal Borough of Greenwich).

There is an underground waterreservoirin the grassed area called Oxleas Meadow. This serves the local area with water. This is associated with 'the hut' which is a building containing the equipment thatThames Wateruses to control the reservoir. Several streams begin within Oxleas Wood, the longest being theWogebournewhich eventually joins theRiver Thamesafter flowing 8 km (5.0 mi).[13][14]

Within Oxleas Meadow is a cafe. The café building is of brick construction and is owned by the Borough of Greenwich. Public male and female toilets are also located in this building and are available for use during the café opening hours. The café part of the building is leased to the café operator.[2]

Within the woods there is a thrivinghoneybeeapiary, theOxleas Wood Apiarywhich was managed by the late apiaristJohn Largeobit.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toOxleas Wood.

See also

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References

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  1. ^"London Gardens Online, Shooters Hill Woodlands (Oxleas Woodlands)".[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ab"Oxleas Woods Management Plan"(PDF).Greenwich.gov.uk.Greenwich Council. 2008. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 29 September 2011.Retrieved16 September2011.
  3. ^Schoon, Nicholas;Wolmar, Christian(8 July 1993)."Road plans threatened as wood is reprieved: M25 widening under scrutiny after London river crossing is scrapped".The Independent.Archivedfrom the original on 2022-05-24.Retrieved6 August2019.
  4. ^Wall, Derek (1999).Earth First! and the Anti-Roads Movement: Radical Environmentalism and Comparative Social Movements.Routledge.p. 91.ISBN9781135117597.
  5. ^Wolmar, Christian(8 July 1993)."Environmentalists win battle for Oxleas Wood: London has almost become a 'no-go' area for major road schemes".The Independent.Archivedfrom the original on 2022-05-24.Retrieved6 August2019.
  6. ^Dudley, Geoffrey; Richardson, Jeremy (2000).Why Does Policy Change?: Lessons from British Transport Policy 1945–99.Routledge.p. 154.ISBN9781134701582.
  7. ^Black, David (1993).The CAMPAIGN to SAVE OXLEAS WOOD.Google Books: PARC (People Against the River Crossing).Retrieved23 December2021.
  8. ^Dudley & Richardson 2000,p. 155.
  9. ^"Oxleas Woodlands citation"(PDF).Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 24 October 2012.Retrieved14 November2013.
  10. ^"Map of Oxleas Woodlands".Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England.Retrieved14 November2013.
  11. ^"Oxleas/Shooters Hill Woodlands".Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 6 March 2013.Retrieved14 November2013.
  12. ^"Map of Oxleas/Shooters Hill Woodlands".Local Nature Reserves. Natural England.Retrieved14 November2013.
  13. ^Admin."The Lost River Wogebourne".A Spark in Your Veins.Retrieved2024-01-25.The Lost River Wogebourne... This rivulet is often alluded to as the Plumstead River, but researches made by the late W.H. Many, in 14th century manuscripts, have shown that its ancient name was the Wogebourne or Woghbourne. It is said to have originally been a tidal river....
  14. ^OS Map."OS Map Online"(Map).Explore OS Maps[OS Map]. OS Maps.Retrieved2024-01-25.
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51°28′01″N0°03′58″E/ 51.467°N 0.066°E/51.467; 0.066

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