Slade Camp

The event is a celebration of a resilient community, and proof that when a habitation is handed back to nature it’s not long before it looks like ancient woodland. You might go as far as calling it Oxford’s Angkor Wat!

The story starts with William Morris, Lord Nuffield, who conveyed the land to the Council before the war for a training camp for the Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry. Immediately after the war, it served as No. 2 Military Disembarkation Camp Unit, for processing Southern Command soldiers. Following decommissioning in 1948, the council started to move “displaced” people into the wooden huts on a temporary basis, where many would stay for years.

By the time it closed in 1970, hundreds of people had rebuilt their lives there. Their story remained largely secret until this year, when the Shotover Preservation Society convened local historians and former residents to bring the camp back to life. The project has reunited former residents, who were children in the camp at the time and many of whom have since lost touch.

What to expect on the 15th September? Walking tours of the camp with local historians will leave every half hour, showing you what remains of some of the sixty-five houses, the washhouses and the water tower, and sharing stories of houses catching fire and children playing with live ammunition. Around the site you’ll find former residents who can talk about what life was like, and you’ll find boards with photos and recreated street signs.

Timings & Tours

Sunday 15 September:

1230-1600, Tours 1230 & 1300 & 1330 & 1400 & 1430 & 1500 & 1530

Location & directions

The Ridings, Shotover Country Park, Headington, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 8TB

Directions:

The walking tours will leave from the pillbox on The Ridings (What3Words ///dozen.ground.stroke) between 12.30 and 3.30pm. The main car park at the top of Shotover Hill on Old Road (OX3 8TA) is free and a 15 minute walk. There is paid parking at Headington Retail Park Car Park, near Aldi, a 10-minute walk across the field. The nearest bus stop is on Titup Hall Drive, a 20-minute walk.

Contact on day:

Stephen Dawson

Telephone number:

+441865245288

Booking information

Pre-booking requirement:

Pre-booking not required

Accessibility details

Uneven ground, and disabled parking must be booked in advance.

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