A quiet place to enjoy (From The Oxford Times)

North Leigh Common

6:40am Thursday 25th February 2010 in Outdoors By Elizabeth Edwards

North Leigh Common contains in its 50 acres a wide variety of important habitats for wildlife, indications of the earlier history of this part of West Oxfordshire, interesting geological features and highly-enjoyable walks.

The common is bounded by the villages of East End, Long Hanborough and North Leigh. In the past it was much more extensive, taking in the Manor of Eynsham and extending into Witney and Cogges.

One of the walkers who takes much pleasure in exploring its seasonal changes is Christine Hutchinson, who lives in North Leigh.

“There is so much variety, there is so much there to see,” she said. “It is as beautiful in winter as it is in summer. I can take different routes when walking my dogs, to be able to enjoy it.

“It is beautiful all the year round. In the winter there are the shapes of the trees, which show up against the evergreen background, to be admired. In early spring there are banks and banks of snowdrops, masses of them, which have been allowed to grow wild and other flowers.

“Then there is the wild honeysuckle which you can smell whenever you go past it in the warmer weather. In the autumn there are suddenly the wonderful changes of the colours of the leaves.”

There are road-names today which reflect its past history: there is Common Road in North Leigh, Moorland and Heath Holm Farms in New Yatt and Blindwell Gorse and North Gorse in Eynsham Park — gorse being a typical plant of heathland.

Today the common is administered by West Oxfordshire District Council and managed for the council by the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust. Much of the practical work is carried out by volunteers.

Ian Anderson, who is volunteer co-ordinator of the Friends of North Leigh Common, said: “About ten years ago the district council commissioned a habitat enhancement plan from a conservation consultancy, which has been overseen by BBOWT.

“The volunteers who have been sharing in the work include members of the Cotswolds Volunteer Warden Service, of the Wychwood Project’s Friends of Wychwood and its young V-Involved volunteers and other local people.”

This is very much community-based conservation. Following a recent working party to thin out some self-sown silver birch trees, the resulting wood was donated to the nearby Bridewell Organic Garden, where it is to be made into besom brooms.

One of the aims of restoration on the common has been to make it more open. This has included the coppicing of tall scrub to improve its age-range.

“There are some self-sown oaks, thanks to the jays and other birds and we are trying to support these and to protect them from invasive growth,” said Mr Anderson.

The area already has a range of different habitats and these are being enhanced to increase their potential for wildlife.

The common has areas of mixed woodland, with some grassy open spaces. In earlier times it would have been much more open and further back still, and would have consisted largely of heathland. The woodland, therefore, is for the most part — in relation to the age of some long-lived tree species — relatively young.

There are areas where, in the past, sand and clay were dug out and used in the brickmaking that took place in Long Hanborough and other villages. These areas now exist as pits, often filled with water.

While the heather had disappeared until recent work aimed at re-introducing it, there are still occasional patches of gorse — reminders of the original heath-like nature of the area.

Scrub clearance to aid this re-introduction has been one of the tasks carried out by Cotswolds Volunteer Wardens.

David Scott, volunteer co-ordinator for the eastern area of the Cotswolds, found this an interesting aspect of the work. “There has been success in getting the heather to grow but it is a long process,” he said.

This volunteer group visits the common three or four times a year. “We helped with the first landscaping and of the clearing of scrub of hawthorn and bramble,” he added.

“The area is now much more open but some scrub has been left to grow as it provides different habitats.

“We have also been helping to dig out some scrapes to encourage frogs, toads and invertebrate species.

“There are also ponds and areas of the bracken that have been left to provide habitat to attract butterflies, so such a variety of different areas makes the common a very interesting place in which to work.”

A habitat of particular importance is the wetland area, which had developed as a result of the former clay and sand workings and is a habitat rare in this part of Oxfordshire. In one of the pits, there is a small area of sphagnum moss, which is very uncommon in the county.

The common is also valuable for its birdlife. Oxfordshire Ornithological Society, which carries out regular surveys there for inclusion in its Patchwork Project observations on various county sites, has recorded frequent sightings of species that are regarded as being of high conservation concern.

Here again it is the variety of resources that is so important — from the scrub for the wrens and dunnocks, to the teasel-heads on which the goldfinches feed and the homes found by species such as nuthatches in nest-holes in trees and also in the bird-boxes that are provided.

Winter visitors include the fieldfares and redwings — the ‘winter thrushes’ — which can find sustenance on the various berry-bearing shrubs and the apple trees.

Ian Anderson describes the work that has been taking place to maintain this variety of habitats as being like “creating a series of rooms”.

“We want to recreate much of what has been lost,” he said.

Another objective is to make the common more inviting to walkers. “We have been reducing the taller brushwood around the pathways,” said Mr Anderson. “Over time this had encroached and we have been cutting back some of the bracken, hawthorn, blackthorn and elder so that people will not feel intimidated in the places where it had reached head-height. This will make visitors feel more welcome.

“The pathways have also been widened, so that people now feel that this is an area which they can enjoy.”

The common is well used by dog-walkers, like Mrs Hutchinson. Its car park is another recent improvement. Drainage work has been undertaken to make it more accessible. Elsewhere, where a sloping bank was becoming slippery, steps have been built to make progress easier for walkers. Benches have been installed.

West Oxfordshire District Council describes North Leigh Common as ‘A quiet place to enjoy’. Mrs Hutchinson added: “It is a wonderful place for walkers and country-lovers — there is always something more to see.”