Army housing site memories project receives grant

Slade Camp was used to house displaced families after World War Two

Two organisations have received funding to research and share the stories of a former Army training camp in Oxford.

Oxford Preservation Trust and Shotover Preservation Society have been awarded a £49,204 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to uncover memories of life at Slade Camp, which housed displaced families after World War Two.

The project will capture the experiences of former residents, including "accounts of resilience" and "childhoods spent exploring a mostly rural neighbourhood."

The society said it was "a great pleasure" to work with former residents "in bringing this special part of Shotover back to life".

Slade Camp was surrounded by woodland at the foot of Shotover Hill (image from 1961)

Huts at the site between Brasenose and Magdalen Woods became home to dozens of families in the 1940s, '50s and '60s.

In 1970, the camp closed and was dismantled after the residents had moved.

The remains of its buildings became overgrown but were uncovered during the Covid pandemic and more has been discovered about their history since.

The trust said throughout the project there would be "lots of opportunities for people to find about more about this fascinating place".

A month-long exhibition about it will open at Oxford's Westgate Library on 1 September, and local historians will be giving tours of the site on 14 September.

The physical remains of the camp will be installed with new signage and a guided trail for visitors.

Remains of Slade Camp buildings were uncovered during the Covid pandemic

Chief executive of Oxford Preservation Trust Anna Eavis said the project would "raise awareness of the historic significance of Slade Camp and value of this woodland site as a community amenity with a remarkable past".

Jim Woods, chair of Shotover Preservation Society, said that through the Heritage Fund support "we'll be able to capture more of the stories from this community forged by unusual circumstances, and who showed a remarkable resilience in a difficult time for the country"".

"It's a great pleasure working with the former residents and various volunteers in bringing this special part of Shotover back to life," he added.