One of the greatest medieval castles in England

Amidst this rural landscape, watched over by the circling red kites, it’s hard to imagine that you are standing in one of the greatest medieval castles in England. William the Conqueror and his army crossed the Thames at Wallingford in 1066 and ordered the building of the castle.

Today, the remains of the castle’s massive earthworks are still capable of evoking an extraordinary sense of history.

A wildlife haven in the centre of Wallingford

As well as its fascinating history, Castle Meadows today is home to some incredibly important wildlife habitats. Deadwood piles provide habitats for a range of invertebrates, which in turn, provide food for woodpeckers and bats.  Ditches across the meadows have been home to a small population of now rare water voles and are also used by visiting water shrews and kingfishers.

Snowdrops and bluebells

During your visit to the meadows make sure you wander across to the small pond which, in the 1800s, was the site of a Victorian grotto. During February the beautiful display of snowdrops heralds the first early signs of spring, and return to the same spot in May, when bluebells form a magnificent carpet of blue around the pond.

Rare and threatened habitats

Castle Meadows includes two floodplain meadows, a rare and threatened habitat in the Thames Valley. These meadows have lost a lot of their species richness due to agricultural 'improvement'. We are hoping that by reverting to traditional hay meadow management we can encourage some of the typical plants, insects, and birds to return. 

Take a walk on the wild side

Download a self guided walk leaflet which will guide you around the meadows visiting the important historical and wildlife highlights. A footpath links Wallingford Castle Meadows with the Thames Path allowing walks along the river to both Wallingford and Benson. 

Wallingford Castle Meadows also has several accessible walks, allowing people with disabilities to enjoy the site.
Download an Accessible Walks leaflet 

How to get to Wallingford Castle Meadows

Park in Wallingford town centre car parks or Cemetery Lane, OX10 8DL. 

Site Management Plan

If you are interested in reading more about Wallingford Castle Meadows, you can dowload the full Site Management Plan and the Executive Summary of the Site Management Plan for 2012 - 2017. This plan was prepared by Earth Trust on behalf of South Oxfordshire District Council.

You can also download the Appendices here: Appendix 1 - Biological information; Appendix 2 - Strategies; Appendix 3 - Accessibility Information; Appendix 4 - Visitor Survey Results 2002-2011; Appendix 5 - Risk Assessment Form

2012/13 events

For details of our latest events at Wallingford Castle Meadows please visit our What's On calendar.