Merton Field is a grass

playing field Play is a range of Motivation#Intrinsic and extrinsic, intrinsically motivated activities done for recreation. Play is commonly associated with children and juvenile-level activities, but may be engaged in at any life stage, and among other high ...

north of the main part of Christ Church Meadow and south of

Merton College Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor ...

in central

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. To the west are Merton Walk and Christ Church, one of the

colleges. To the east is the

University of Oxford Botanic Garden The University of Oxford Botanic Garden is the oldest Botanical garden, botanic garden in Great Britain and one of the oldest scientific gardens in the world. The garden was founded in 1621 as a physic garden growing plants for medicinal resear ...

. To the south is Broad Walk a wide path on the northern edge of Christ Church Meadow. To the north, Dead Man's Walk skirts the edge of Merton Field following the line of the old

city wall A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or Earthworks (military), earthworks to extensive military fortifications such as ...

and Grove Walk leads to

Merton Street Merton Street is a cobbled street in central Oxford, England.Merton Street< ...

, between Corpus Christi College and Merton College. The tower of Merton College Chapel dominates the view north from Merton Field. Near to the eastern end of Dead Man's Walk is a plaque marking the first

hot air balloon A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carri ...

ascent in Britain, made by James Sadler (1753–1828). He ascended from Merton Field on 4 October 1783, landing in Woodeaton to the northeast of Oxford.

Gallery

File:ChCh Meadow.JPG, View from the meadow, looking across the Merton Field sports fields towards Christ Church Cathedral. File:Merton college2.jpg, View of Merton Field with

behind, looking north from Broad Walk on the northern edge of Christ Church Meadow. File:Merton College Oxford - geograph.org.uk - 22031.jpg, Merton Field, with Merton Walk to the left and

in the distance. File:Merton and Magdalen Colleges, Christ Church Meadow - geograph.org.uk - 427396.jpg, Dead Man's Walk at the northern side of Merton Field with Merton College on the left and

Magdalen Tower Magdalen Tower, completed in 1509, is a bell tower that forms part of Magdalen College, Oxford. It is a central focus for the celebrations in Oxford on May Morning. History Magdalen Tower is one of the oldest parts of Magdalen College, Oxfor ...

in the distance.

References

Parks and open spaces in Oxford Christ Church Meadow, Oxford Merton College, Oxford Sports venues in Oxford Sport at the University of Oxford Ballooning {{Oxfordshire-geo-stub