25 July 2008Residents looking to enjoy the beauty and splendor of the countryside can enjoy a free guided walk in one of the most naturally attractive areas of woodland in the District later this month.
Forestry expert Jonathan Webb will lead the walk around Oxenhill Shaw and Meadow (near Otford) on Saturday 24 May and elaborate on some of the history, features and management of the site.
Meeting at the gate at the end of Tudor Drive in Otford at 2pm the free walk should last no longer than two hours, dogs on leads are welcome and there is no need to book in advance.
Oxenhill Shaw and Meadow has undergone dynamic changes over the past 29 years and is an example of how an area of open land, in the absence of grazing or mowing, can become woodland without a single tree ever having been planted.
Up until 1979 the ‘meadow’ was an agricultural field growing a crop of barley. No further crops were grown and farming was abandoned soon after, the field being allowed to lie fallow.
After reverting to grasses and agricultural weed species the land began to scrub over. Today large areas of the site are covered with native trees and shrubs, forming an assortment of dense young woodland, grass and scrub.
This came about due to an adjacent seed source in the form of Oxenhill Shaw, which lies close to the southern edge of the meadow. This old-established woodland, extending to around 4 hectares (10 acres) has been unmanaged for many years and is semi-derelict but has spawned the trees and shrubs now colonising the rest of the site.
The land at Oxenhill lies sandwiched between Otford and Kemsing, bounded to the south by the M26 motorway and to the west by the railway line. It can be easily accessed both from the south end of Tudor Drive and the western end of Dynes Road, as well as by way of several public footpaths.
In 1996/97 the land came into public ownership, and is managed by a joint committee comprising Sevenoaks District Council and Kemsing and Otford parish councils.
In late 2002, in recognition of its importance and potential, the site was awarded a grant from the Forestry Commission’s ‘Woodland Welcome’ pilot grant scheme for community woodland access sites.
This provided five years of funding and under this scheme paths have been widened and are being managed, interpretive map boards have been designed and installed on site, and a site leaflet has been produced. A programme to re-establish a coppice rotation within Oxenhill Shaw has also begun.
Cllr Felicity Broomby, Sevenoaks District Council Cabinet Member with responsibility for countryside sites, says: "Oxenhill really is a wonderful area and an ideal site for walking with a network of paths across the meadow and through the woodland. For anyone who has not been to Oxenhill this is a wonderful opportunity to learn about the rich history and features of the site, and even for those who have visited before you are sure to find out something new on this guided walk. Let's just hope the British weather holds out!"
More information on countryside sites managed by Sevenoaks District Council go to the countryside section of the Council website.
