St Mary's Fields

St. Mary’s Fields is a 14 acre conservation area owned by Kidlington Parish Council. It is sited just behind St. Mary’s Church at the end of Church Street.

Access is from the Parish car park.

The land straddles a public footpath, which takes walkers from Kidlington to the River Cherwell and the tiny village of Hampton Poyle . There was very little active management of the fields in the last decade of the 20 th century and as a result they have developed an interesting and diverse plant life, and support an impressive variety of breeding and wintering birds.

It became clear that the area needed to be managed in order to prevent shrub and tree growth from changing it into unpleasant damp woodland dominated by ash and willow of little beauty or ecological value.

The conservation project attracted funding from Cherwell District Council and the Millennium Fund and has been managed by the St. Mary’s Fields Management Committee led by Mr. John Brucker, a local conservationist. The main aims of the project are to conserve a valuable wildlife area for the future and make it more accessible for the wider enjoyment of the public

The project has a five-year development plan and is proving a great success. The central footpath has been upgraded and other paths have been cut to allow access to the different areas. Areas have been cleared of unnecessary bramble and ash. The pond has been cleared and many of the surrounding willows have been pollarded. Surveys of the flora and fauna have produced an impressive list of plants, wild flowers, butterflies, birds and mammals.

Volunteers have done much of the management work on “work days”- generally at weekends. The Management Committee are always on the lookout for more volunteers to help with such tasks as clearing undergrowth and brambles; maintaining and improving paths, keeping ash and willow growth checked and maintaining the natural pond. If interested please contact the Parish Office.

Each month a bulletin is posted on the notice board at the start of the footpath, listing plant and animal species seen and seasonal observations. This bulletin can also be viewed on this web site.