Slade Camp - Oxford Heritage Asset Register Nominations List

Location

Please note that Slade Camp is situated on the boundary between Oxford City Council and South Oxfordshire District Council. This nomination is for the area of Slade Camp located within Oxford City Council's jurisdiction. In addition, site boundaries for nominations are approximate.

Open the location of the proposed Slade Camp area in Google Maps.

What is it?

• a monument or site (an area of archaeological remains or a structure other than a building)
• a place (e.g. a street, park, garden or natural space) 

The former Slade Camp is located in Headington immediately south of Wood Farm, and consisted of an L-shaped plot sandwiched between the Magdalen Open and the Brasenose Open. Previously agricultural land, the plot was granted to the Cowley Barracks during the Second World War due to an increased demand for training grounds within reach of the City, and was dubbed ‘Infantry Training Ground No. 15.’ The facility consisted of an array of small huts, with a large central parade square at the crook of the L. The compound soon gained it’s colloquial name Slade Camp.

In 1948 after the end of the War the camp became demilitarized with cabins converted into temporary accommodation, housing some of the vast number of people who had lost their homes as a result of the conflict. Shortly avenues First through to Ninth were occupied and remained so until 1959 when the Eastern Bypass began construction bisecting the site. During the following period of works, the portion of the Camp to the left of the Bypass was redeveloped, demolishing the cabins and all trace of Second, Third, Fifth, Sixth and Seventh avenues.

The land to the east of the Bypass was left undeveloped and returned to woodland, leaving scars of the former camp in the form of surviving footings of buildings and concrete steps. First, Fourth, Eighth and Ninth avenues remain in situ, and are still marked on maps of the area.

Why is it interesting?

• Historic interest – a well documented association with a person, event, episode of history, or local industry
• Archaeological interest – firm evidence of potential to reveal more about the human past through further study

The sites significance is largely historic, serving as a monument to the impact which the Second World War had on the Country. This is achieved by demonstrating the measures taken to accommodate the increased military demand on land and resources, and the secondary use of providing temporary housing following the destruction caused by the conflict. The history of this site tells us a uniquely broad narrative of urban life spanning pre-war to post-war, exhibiting the societal needs of the respective periods.

Why is it locally valued?

• Association: It connects us to people and events that shaped the identity or character of the area
• Illustration: It illustrates an aspect of the area’s past that makes an important contribution to its identity or character
• Evidence: It is an important resource for understanding and learning about the area’s history
• Communal: It is important to the identity, cohesion, spiritual life or memory of all or part of the community

Being a historical site from the mid-20th century, its relevance is still largely felt by the surrounding communities and forms a significant part of their cultural history. The site contributes largely to the identity of the area, and a number of community driven working parties have greatly contributed to its upkeep and maintenance. The remains of the camp which survive in the area to the East of the Bypass are an important physical tie to an extended period of use, with sources stating that the Camp was still inhabited well into the 1960s.

What makes its lcoal significance special?

• Age
• Rarity
• Oxford’s identity

The local significance of the site is special as it is of a limited surviving typology. Though many military training camps were inhabited by the homeless following the end of the Second World War, very few sites survive in an undeveloped state with surviving remains of the temporary structures. It is also uncommon amongst this typology that habitation of the camps continued for such an extended period, with accounts of families remaining in the Slade Camp until the 1960’s until they were eventually relocated throughout the county. With the sites use being so extended, the amount of personal accounts of the Camp further solidifies its significance to the local identity.