Tracking and Mapping Oxford
Throughout my time as an intern for Oxford Brookes University, working alongside the ‘In All Our Footsteps’ and ‘Don’t Lose Your Way’ projects, the clear need to rediscover and conserve public rights of way, especially in built up, urbanised locations, has become exceedingly apparent.
I primarily spent my time researching in order to provide documentary archival evidence to support applications to change the definitive map, which will help towards future definitive map modification orders (DMMO). This internship also enabled me to pursue my interests while helping to recover and conserve various rights of way across central Oxfordshire.
One key focus of the research was identifying and locating lost paths that show a clear history of public rights of way, dating back at least twenty-years. Identifying this before sourcing supporting evidence in the form of Enclosure Acts and Awards, Tithe Maps and Apportionments, and Finance Act Documents, allowing applications for the restoration of lost rights of way.
Oxfordshire History Centre, PAR126/16/H/2
Having recently graduated from Oxford Brookes with a BA in History, this internship enabled me to handle and work with archived material in person to aid an ongoing project, something that appealed to me greatly. As such, I spent much of my time with this project examining evidence found within archives such as The National Archives and the Oxfordshire History Centre, to locate a number of rights of way in and around central and east Oxford.
One observation that met me with most of my finds was of the impact of industry and urbanisation in the loss of many public rights of way across Oxford. This key observation can be split into two. The first impact of urbanisation can be seen with regard to the transformation of footpaths and bridleways into roads, lanes, and vehicle access points. While often this retains public access to what was previously a bridleway or footpath, occasionally public right of way will be lost with such routes as housing development calls for private or permissive paths.
An example of this transformation of a right of way prioritising vehicle access can be seen with regard to one of the first routes I researched.
Ordnance Survey map, 1921
Examining an Enclosure Map dating from 1802 sourced from The National Archive, in the image, a footpath cutting through an allotment belonging to Henry Mayne Whorwood can be seen. This allotment is within Headington, east Oxford, just west of Headington town. Of course, the area has been dramatically built up since the early nineteenth century and so when consulting later material such as this OS map from the 1920s (see below), it can be seen that this footpath became what is recognised today as Cuckoo Lane. Just one example of a public right of way being maintained however transformed in line with innovation, urbanisation, and industrialisation.
Oxfordshire History Centre, PAR126/16/H/2
While this specific route remains a public accessway, it calls into question debates concerning private and permissive land access. Based on this, there must surely be routes the public historically had access to which have since been converted to private roads.
This leads onto the second impact of urbanisation on public land access and right of way, the impact and implications of housing development. While it would understandably not be possible to reclaim a right of way cutting through somebody’s backyard, finding and researching rights of way lost to infrastructure leads to questions surrounding if these developments took the necessary legal steps to build and to ensure that future builds do not destroy further rights of way.
Ordnance Survey map, 1939
Another right of way researched highlighted to me the impact housing development has had on the preservation of public footpaths and bridleways. A study into two nearby paths in South Headington Quarry demonstrated how modern infrastructure so often results in the destruction of public rights of way. While route C to D remains today in the form of Gladstone Road, route A to B was lost in part to housing development by the 1930s.
As such, a clear conclusion can be made. The impact of housing and business development in line with growing urbanisation, particularly in the 1930s, had on altering the surrounding area and rights of way networks within, cannot be denied and can be held accountable for the loss of so many access routes we cannot hope to reclaim. While the ability to house a growing population, particularly within a busy university town where business and accommodation is crucial, I think much of this research highlights the significance of maintaining what public rights of way that we do have.
This experience working in a research based field towards a fulfilling, meaningful, and active project, has been fantastic. While it was certainly challenging at times, the issues this project has raised regarding land justice has been both educational and worthwhile in itself. I greatly look forward to seeing where the project goes next and wish it all the best for the future while thanking those involved for the opportunity.