A Short History of Shotover Country Park

Shotover Country Park covers 117 hectares (289 acres) of Oxfordshire countryside and is enjoyed by many people for a wide variety of activities, from picnics to orienteering, from academic study to leisurely evening strolls and a lot more. Shotover is no less varied and colourful in its history…


Prehistoric and Roman Shotover

In prehistoric times Shotover was a forested area which may have been inhabited by animals such as elk, reindeer, and wild ox. Wild boar was known to roam the area and Norman Kings were keen hunters of the animal.

In prehistoric times, the forest was dominated by Oak, with other species of tree including Field Maple, Aspen, Ash and Wild Service Tree. Additional species such as Henbane and Ground-elder were introduced by the Romans for their medicinal uses. Even today, the oldest areas of the woodland can be identified as some of these species can still be found on Shotover.

Traces of human habitation on Shotover have been found with the discovery of flint tools such as arrowheads, and which occasionally are still found in the ploughed fields around the hill.


Shotover Royal Forest

Shotover Hill as we know it today is just a fragment of what used to be a Royal Forest. The boundary of Shotover Royal Forest once extended to just south of Islip to the north, Stanton St. John to the east, Horspath to the south and the River Cherwell in Oxford to the west. These areas were used as exclusive hunting areas for the King. Although there are no records of kings hunting on Shotover, it is almost certain that they did, and it is known that venison from Shotover was consumed with great delight at the king’s table at Windsor.

Shotover provided many valuable resources. It was an excellent source of yellow ochre, some of which was ground in the Wheatley windmill, and used by artists as well as for painting wagons. Shotover’s timber was used for shipbuilding, and in the construction of the Oxford Gaol, Oxford Castle, and Bodleian Library.

The track over Shotover Hill, now known as Shotover Plain, was the main route from Oxford to London. Coach passengers had to dismount and walk up the steepest parts of the ascent to the Plain, and remount further up the hill. The stone used for remounting the coaches can still be found at the western end of Shotover Plain.

When the Stokenchurch Turnpike was completed in the late 1700s, people no longer needed to use Shotover Plain to get to London, and its use declined. It still remains a public right of way today.


The decline of Shotover Royal Forest

In 1298, Shotover Royal Forest was approximately 2,300 hectares in size, but by 1643 had dwindled to just 600 hectares. Shotover, having been a thriving Royal Forest, lost its status as a forest in 1660 due to its deterioration and decay as a productive forest, and was partly due to the huge demand for wood at that time.


Wartime Shotover

During World War II, Shotover was home to much activity. It was used for military training as well being a testing site for tanks built at Cowley. Slade Camp (to the south of Shotover Hill) formed part of Cowley Barracks and soldiers involved in the D-Day landings were housed there. Concrete pathways and remnants of military buildings can still be found around Slade Camp.


Shotover in recent times.

A landmark book ‘Shotover, The Natural History of a Royal Forest’ was written by David Steel (Pub 1984) in which he described the history and many different habitats at Shotover and their wildlife. Following this in 1986 Shotover was designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to the fine mosaic of interacting natural habitats and the diversity of associated wildlife. These habitats include marsh, coppice woodland, meadow and lowland heath. In 1999, Shotover Wildlife was formed by members of the local community, as an independent voluntary organisation, to continue the recording of species, to conserve wildlife habitats and to communicate the importance of Shotover for the wildlife it supports. Oxford City Council owns most of Shotover, with parts being owned by Oxford University.