Districts:

West Oxfordshire Parishes

Select District:

Districts - Parishes

Cherwell

South Oxfordshire

Vale of White Horse

West Oxfordshire

Districts - Landscape Types

Steeple Barton

This map highlights the landscape types within the parish you selected, and its associated local character areas. You can click on any area of the map for a description of its landscape character and biodiversity. Please note that local character areas can cover large areas of the countryside, and may include several parishes, so the description may not be specific to this parish. If there are any wildlife habitats within the parish their descriptions can be found by scrolling to the bottom of this page.

Steeple Barton Image Map

The following wildlife habitats fall within this parish. They are listed according to their associated landscape type or local character area.

If you want more information about any of the sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) listed below, take a look at English Nature's Nature on the Map website. It may also be possible to find out a bit more about the unnamed wildlife habitats in the parish by contacting the Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre (owls@oxfordshire.gov.uk) and quoting the site code next to the habitat description.

The majority of these wildlife habitats are on private land and access to them is not possible without permission of the landowner, unless there is a statutory right of way. However, many wildlife habitats in the county are open to the public. More information on these can be obtained from the Oxfordshire Nature Conservation Forum.

Wildlife Habitats

Wooded Pasture Valleys and Slopes

Site Code: 42N10

Area: 11.3ha

Middle Barton Fen SSSI

Middle Barton Fen is an exceptional area of fen and wet grassland habitat in meadows next to the Cockley Brook along with a bank of limestone grassland. These habitats are national priorities for nature conservation. Fens are particularly rare in Oxfordshire.

The rush and sedge dominated fen is rich in wildflowers including marsh orchids, marsh valerian and fen bedstraw. In the tussocky wet grassland common spotted orchids and lady’s mantle, which appears as a small version of the garden species, can be found. The site supports a variety of rare and uncommon insects.