Friends of Warneford Meadow
A community volunteer group working to care for the wildlife, history, and tranquility of this unique Oxford meadow.
CHECK BACK HERE FOR FUTURE SAPLING CLEARANCE & APPLE DAY DATES
CHECK BACK HERE FOR FUTURE SAPLING CLEARANCE & APPLE DAY DATES
Warneford Meadow
Warneford Meadow is much-loved and remarkable Oxford green space and natural grassland. A place where wildflowers, wet meadow habitats, and local wildlife can thrive, it has been used as a public space for over 50 years.
Owned by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, the 20 acre natural wild meadow was registered as a Town Green in 2010 after a local campaign successuly halted plans to develop it.
Located in the eastern side of the city behind the Warneford and Churchill Hospitals, the meadow is accessible from Hill Top Road, close to the Oxford Golf Club, or Roosevelt Drive by the Headington Care Home. The 20 acre natural wild area is enjoyed by both the community and hospital patients.
Friends of Warneford Meadow
The Friends of Warneford Meadow is a volunteer‑led group formed to assist care for the meadow, support biodiversity, and help the community enjoy and understand this unique environment which faces ongoing nearby development pressures.
Warnford Meadow is home to an unusually rich patchwork of grasses, flowering plants, and wetland species. Its mix of habitats supports insects, birds, amphibians, and seasonal wildflowers that have become rare elsewhere. By valuing and protecting the meadow, we help preserve a piece of Oxford’s natural heritage for everyone.
What we do:
• Conservation and habitat care
• Community events
• Advocacy for responsible stewardship
If you would like to join us or simply know more, we would love to hear from you and you can contact us here.
Get involved
Sapling clearance
Removing young, woody tree and shrub seedlings in the meadow is a vital conservation management technique to maintain biodiversity and ensure that wildflowers and grasses have enough sunlight, space, and nutrients to thrive. Sapling clearance is managed in cooperation with the Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust by volunteers who gather for a couple of hours a few times a year. We will post here the next time we are gathering and with details of how you can help.
Apple Days
The Warneford Orchard on the northern edge of the Meadow is over 50 years old and has rare varieties of apples. It was originally paid for by public subscription and belongs to the townsfolk of Oxford.
The orchard was adopted by the Friends of Warneford Meadow. Check back here early autumn for the date of our late autumn Apple Day and keep a look out on the meadow’s notice board.
Development of the Warneford Hospital Site
Warneford Meadow continues to face pressure from local development. Planning consent has been granted for the Warneford Hospital site, adjacent to the north-west of the meadow, to undergo a £500m redevelopment, transforming it into a modern mental health, research, and education campus. The plans include a new hospital, research facility, and a graduate college.
The redevelopment does not propose building on Warneford Meadow itself, but the new, large stale structures will alter the landscape.
Local residents, schools, and community groups rasied objections to the redevelopment plan. They primarily focussed on increased traffic congestion, the loss of green space and wildlife habitats, and the impact of 90+ trees being removed.
The FOWM attended local planning consulations and expressed a particular concern over car park expansion and the impact overall on the meadow. We continue to enage with invested parties and other local groups.