Woodland for sale

There is easy access into the woodland for vehicles as a number of open grassy areas lead directly into the wood from the entrance point. Here there is abundant space to move around beneath the capacious spreading canopy of imposing oak and beech that have preserved grassy clearings beneath, where an array of interesting woodland flowers and plants now proliferate.

At the fringes of the wood thick areas of bramble and bracken provide ideal natural screening and cover for woodland mammals. Deer lie in wait during the day until emerging to graze in the grassy clearings and animal trails can be made out running across the woodland floor amongst the undergrowth.

Trees

Towering Scots pine, oak, beech and birch are the principle species that form a visually engaging but also resilient mix of tree types at Hornbill Wood. These are well established specimens of many generations in age. It is this level of diversity within the wood that will continue to contribute to a thriving natural environment where no single species proliferates. This provides natural tolerance against the threat of disease that perpetually stalks the balance of nature. There are also areas of pine sheltering the woodland that are more recent additions. Further planting here could help to strengthen this inherent resilience so that Hornbill Wood can continue to be enjoyed well into the future.

Access, tracks and footpaths

A newly renovated track runs directly to the entrance to Hornbill Wood and once within the wood there is plenty of space to park. Although there are no footpaths through the wood a bridleway runs along the access track. This woodland forms part of an area of registered common land which has a general right of access as open access land. There are no commoners’ rights registered on the land for any other purpose and Hornbill Wood therefore enjoys all the rights of ownership of freehold title.

Rights and covenants

As is the case for all our woodlands, the purchaser will be asked to enter into a covenant which serves to protect the peace and quiet of the woodland.

Local area and history

Nearby Culham Campus is now a centre for scientific research and development. This facility began life as Culham airfield and was a naval base known as HMS Hornbill between 1944 and 1953, home to Royal Navy Number 2 Aircraft Receipt and Dispatch Unit. Although the Hornbill is a bird that is not native to the UK, the woodland is named after the proud wartime legacy of the area.

Also nearby the village of Clifton Hampden takes its name from its setting on the banks of the river Thames on a raised bluff or 'cliff' overlooking the river. The origin of the second part of the village name is less certain but is thought to derive from the surname of a seventeenth century incumbent of a local manor.

The wider surrounding area is characterised by the natural beauty of rural Oxfordshire. Nearby Abingdon provides a range of everyday services for the woodland visitor and in spite of the peaceful location there is excellent access to Oxford, Reading and the motorway network.