Woodland Conservation Group – SHWWP
Hotel Field
Saturday, 10th October 2026
What a beautiful day Saturday turned out to be! Dry, sunny and pleasantly mild – that’s perfect weather for woodland conservation work. We also had a fantastic turn-out, with 14 volunteers giving their time to help conserve and improve Oxleas Woodlands. That’s another 42 volunteer hours dedicated to looking after this wonderful area!
This session, we moved out of the woodland itself and headed to Hotel Field. If you’ve ever wondered how this grassy area got its name, it’s because one of the grand residences that once stood on this site operated as a hotel. Perched proudly on the hill, parallel with Shooters Hill, it must have enjoyed some wonderful views.
The house and hotel have long since disappeared, leaving a grassy area bordered by Oxleas Wood at the bottom of the slope, copses of native and non-native trees and shrubs on two sides, and a vast wall of bramble on the third.
Hotel Field is now one of several areas within the wood designated as meadow. Over time, parts of these meadows have reverted to scrub, with brambles, nettles and numerous young saplings spreading out from the woodland. Our conservation work aims to reclaim these areas and give the meadow vegetation more room to flourish.
Building on the work carried out by the Friday Woodland Conservation Group, Saturday’s team continued removing older sycamore trees encroaching on the meadow and casting unwanted shade. They also tackled saplings and young brambles spreading into the grassy area.
It’s slow, painstaking work, made all the harder by the ground remaining baked hard despite the recent rain. Nevertheless, every bit of progress helps!
With more of the meadow now cleared, the mowers will be able to cover a larger area when the next cut is due. Hopefully, this will help create the conditions for more wildflowers to return.
A big thank you to everyone who came along and helped make a difference!
