Some fascinating details have been uncovered about the history of the Rose Hill estate in Oxford.

Who, for example, would have realised that it is a haven for trees, birds, animals and insects, it has the oldest roadside stone in Oxfordshire and that writing graffiti in one place is legal?

Oxford Preservation Trust has produced a leaflet about the estate and its heritage, highlighting a walk where many of its features can be seen.

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As we reported (Memory Lane, September 16), the trust has recently been working with communities in Wood Farm, mapping sites of historic interest around the Headington estate.

It has also brought together research by local historian Liz Woolley and residents’ memories of favourite places to uncover in another interesting area of the city – Rose Hill.

The leaflet includes an illustrated map with a suggested walk through many locations that tell the story of the estate’s heritage, communal green spaces and art hotspots.

The walk highlights Rose Hill’s proximity to nature, including the “pretty and peaceful” Rivermead park, once used by a cycle speedway team and now with streams, ponds, woodland and wildlife.

(Image: Oxford Mail) The nearby Glebe, owned and managed by the trust, adds to the rural feel, providing a habitat for voles, insects, birds, bats and more.

There are seven acres of allotments, with nearly 100 plots and a lovely view over Iffley Church towards Boars Hill.

A path by the Eastern Bypass provides a pleasant walk, particularly in springtime when blossom and leaves are emerging.

The local Low Carbon Group has also established a community orchard at Rose Hill Primary School and planted 600 trees on the recreation ground. There are also “lovely blossom trees that bloom along Ashhurst Way”.

The past is well represented - the estate boasts ancient oak trees, the remnants of a 1,000-year-old woodland, and a roadside stone, the county’s oldest dating from 1635, near the Church Cowley Road junction.

Look out, too, for a group of Georgian-style houses built in 1935 and the factory-made Howard houses, delivered by RAF transporters which normally carried aircraft.

Another memory of the past comes from Rose Hill Primary School, where boys wore caps, girls wore berets and all wore badges and ties when it opened in 1950.

Rose Hill Primary School staff teach pupils aged 3 to 11.

Both the Rose Hill and Wood Farm walks are available to download from the trust’s website, https://www.oxfordpreservation.org.uk/communities, where more details about both projects can be found.

If you are interested in getting involved in the trust’s community history projects, email Anna Clark at a.clark@oxfordpreservation.org.uk or call 01865 242918.

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About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning. 

You can also read his weekly Traffic and Transport newsletter.