Longbridges Nature Park

Very quiet but alot of rubbish about

Yes go here take the kids, spot all types of nature, take s picnic. Remember to clear up after yourself properly.

Don't get me wrong, I love longbridges. But I can't help but imagine poor Oxford tourists heading to the nature park and being a bit disappointed... great spot to sit in the sun and dip in the river on a nice day - when i will be busy! And definitely some wild enough ground for nature :)

The older citizens of Oxford will know that Longbridges nature park once used to be an open air bathing area. The concrete banks of the swimming area are still evident even though they’ve crumbled quite significantly. Longbridges swimming area used to be very popular with people of all ages. Visiting the site again brought back lots of pleasant memories. I can still see the wooden changing rooms. Some of the wooden planks of the male changing rooms had their notches knocked out so it was wise to be aware of this when getting into your swimwear. The fear created by these missing notches ensured the issue wouldn’t be forgotten.

I wasn’t that fond of swimming and Longbridges’ muddy bottom put me off even more but it was great being with your mates over the summer months. I preferred Tumbling Bay, the other open air swimming area, not far from the railway station partly because I liked the name and partly because people had to ferry themselves over the river to get to the swimming area. I can’t imagine that such a form of transport would last very long these days.

Longbridges’ current status seems a little perplexing. It’s called a park and yet, apparently, it also has one of the highest designations for a green area - a SSSI.

The nature park is on Oxford’s flood plain and helps to soak up flood waters that might damage surrounding properties. The Thames in Oxford is not that wide but the city’s need to protect property from flooding requires the preservation of a great deal of land either side of the river which adds considerably to its width. The river is like a five lane motorway running through the city except that it is so beautiful and brings freshness and renewal to the city (on the whole) rather than swamping it with poisons, foul smells, noise and garbage.

This comparison between the river and a motorway might seem far fetched but it has its merits. The riverbanks were in their natural state throughout the 1960s. But as the number of motor boats using the river started increasing thereby boosting the crumbling of the riverbanks, some time in the 1970s (sorry I can’t remember precisely when) Oxford’s riverbanks were cemented up. In addition, the footpaths along the riverbanks were levelled and made safe and secure. They were sandy pavements made of compacted sand rather than cement. The river had been lightly urbanized to improve accessibility - if you want an idea of what the riverbank was like before this transformation, go and look at the section of the river between the Cowley-Oxford railway bridge and Sandford lock. It’s impossible not to appreciate the huge increase in accessibility to the river.

Oxford’s rivers add enormously to the beauty of the city but what would they have looked like if the city had had no university. What would Oxford look like now if it existed elsewhere in the country? This mythical ‘Oxford’ didn’t have to look as beautiful as it is.

Not sure if this place may be called a park, but it’s nice.