The Trap Grounds (aka Trap Grounds Town Green) is a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

in north

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the Un ...

, Oxfordshire, England, owned by

Oxford City Council Oxford City Council is the lower-tier local government authority for the city of Oxford in England, providing such services as leisure centres and parking. Social Services, Education and Highways services (amongst others) are provided by Oxfor ...

Overview

The site is to the east of the

railway line Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term ''railroad'' and the international term ''railway'' (used by the International Union of Railways and English-speaking countries outside the United Sta ...

and the Burgess Field Nature Park, to the west of the

Oxford Canal The Oxford Canal is a narrowboat canal in central England linking the City of Oxford with the Coventry Canal at Hawkesbury (just north of Coventry and south of Bedworth) via Banbury and Rugby. Completed in 1790, it connects to the River Tha ...

and Hayfield Road in

North Oxford North Oxford is a suburban part of the city of Oxford in England. It was owned for many centuries largely by St John's College, Oxford and many of the area's Victorian houses were initially sold on leasehold by the College. Overview The lea ...

, south of Frenchay Road and the

Waterways A waterway is any navigable body of water. Broad distinctions are useful to avoid ambiguity, and disambiguation will be of varying importance depending on the nuance of the equivalent word in other languages. A first distinction is necessary b ...

housing estate, and north of SS Philip and James'

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

Primary School and Aristotle Lane. Further to the west is

Port Meadow Port Meadow is a large meadow of open common land beside the River Thames to the north and west of Oxford, England. Overview The meadow is an ancient area of grazing land, still used for horses and cattle, and according to legend has never bee ...

and the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the ...

. Further to the north is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Hook Meadow and The Trap Grounds. Also close by are the separately organized Trap Ground Allotments. The original Trap Grounds were much more extensive, including Burgess Field, but the present site is now largely surrounded by built-up suburbs of Oxford. The area is on a reclaimed

rubbish dump A landfill site, also known as a tip, dump, rubbish dump, garbage dump, or dumping ground, is a site for the disposal of waste materials. Landfill is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of the waste ...

site and is approximately in size. The site consists of

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...

reed bed A reedbed or reed bed is a natural habitat found in floodplains, waterlogged depressions and estuaries. Reedbeds are part of a succession from young reeds colonising open water or wet ground through a gradation of increasingly dry ground. As ...

pond A pond is an area filled with water, either natural or Artificiality, artificial, that is smaller than a lake. Defining them to be less than in area, less than deep, and with less than 30% Aquatic plant, emergent vegetation helps in disting ...

s, some grass areas, and paths including a

boardwalk A boardwalk (alternatively board walk, boarded path, or promenade) is an elevated footpath, walkway, or causeway built with wooden planks that enables pedestrians to cross wet, fragile, or marshy land. They are also in effect a low type of bri ...

. There is a single point of entry to the site immediately to the south of Frenchay Road Bridge on the

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface fl ...

. Wildlife on the site includes

slow worm The slow worm (''Anguis fragilis'') is a reptile native to western Eurasia. It is also called a deaf adder, a slowworm, a blindworm, or regionally, a long-cripple and hazelworm. These legless lizards are also sometimes called common slowworms. ...

History

In 2002, there was a

public inquiry A tribunal of inquiry is an official review of events or actions ordered by a government body. In many common law countries, such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and Canada, such a public inquiry differs from a royal commission in that ...

about converting the Trap Grounds, which was owned by the city council of Oxford at the time, to a town green. This inquiry would have made the Trap grounds open and accessible for public use. In 2003, a court considered another bid for the Trap Grounds to become a

town green A village green is a common open area within a village or other settlement. Historically, a village green was common grassland with a pond for watering cattle and other stock, often at the edge of a rural settlement, used for gathering cattle ...

, this time as a preamble for a bid to develop the land into housing units. Later during 2005–06, a case involving

Oxfordshire County Council Oxfordshire County Council is the county council (upper-tier local authority) for the non-metropolitan county of Oxfordshire in the South East of England. It is an elected body responsible for some local government services in the county, incl ...

and

to decide the future of the Trap Grounds was decided in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster ...

. In 2007, Catherine Robinson of ''The Friends of The Trap Grounds'', was awarded the

Campaign to Protect Rural England CPRE, The Countryside Charity, formerly known by names such as the ''Council for the Preservation of Rural England'' and the ''Council for the Protection of Rural England'', is a charity in England with over 40,000 members and supporters. Forme ...

's top honour for protecting the Trap Grounds from development. In 2010, a new walkway was created on the site. In 2012, there was discussion on how much access there should be to the site.

The Friends of The Trap Grounds

The Friends of The Trap Grounds is a volunteer organization that helps to maintain the Trap Grounds.

Panoramic view

Image gallery

File:Trap Grounds, Oxford - entrance - DSC05275.jpg, The entrance of the Trap Grounds. File:Trap Grounds, Oxford - DSC05244.jpg, A pond at the Trap Grounds. File:Trap Grounds, Oxford - DSC05251.jpg, Waterway through the Trap Grounds. File:Trap Grounds, Oxford - DSC05261.jpg, The boardwalk in the Trap Grounds.

References

External links

The Friends of The Trap Grounds website

Catherine Robinson – The Trap Grounds
on

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Year of establishment missing Nature reserves in Oxfordshire Parks and open spaces in Oxford {{Oxfordshire-geo-stub