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Moortown Road, WATFORD, WD19 6JH

Moortown Road leads south off Maylands Road, part of the London County Council built estate at South Oxhey dating from the early 1950s.

Although by its very nature as a housing estate originally built by London County Council to provide homes for Londoners whose residences had been destroyed or damaged during the Second World War, there tends to be a lot of uniformity in housing designs on the estate, there are a few locations where unusual styles have been used. Here in Mundesley Close for example the first floors have a tiled mansard-type roof over a standard brick-built ground floor.

The church was founded in 1952 to serve the London County Council built South Oxhey housing estate. The church was built here, on the south side of Oxhey Drive, in 1960 and consecrated in 1981. Its website is here http://www.rcdow.org.uk/CarpendersPark/ The Church belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster. Despite being such a large building with a prominent tower overlooking South Oxhey it is difficult to photograph being surrounded by houses on its eastern, southern and western sides. As can be seen this tower has been an obvious target for mobile telephone companies wishing to use it for mounting their masts. From a Geograph point of view the Ordnance Survey's 193000 metre gridline runs through the church, from right to left in this photograph, so the opposite and southern side of the structure is in Image

Oxhey Woods is the largest Local Nature Reserve (LNR) in Three Rivers District. The character of the woods is varied, created by centuries of management for a variety of woodland products. Prestwick Road and Oxhey Drive divide the woods into three separate areas. The woods are an important Wildlife Site, notable for the rare Wild Service Tree. Sometimes known as the ‘Chequers Tree’ because of its distinctively patterned bark, the leaves and berries form the LNR logo. Some parts of the LNR are ancient woodland, having been continuously covered by woodland for at least four hundred years, and possibly up to ten thousand years. Wild Service Tree is one of the indicators of ancient woodland. Features such as sunken pathways, earth banks and ditches can also be seen. In the past these earth works often marked boundaries between different land uses and ownership. The London LOOP passes through Oxhey Woods and the woods are an important resource for the residents of the South Oxhey Estate. This is the easternmost edge of the woods, seen from Furze Close on the South Oxhey Estate.

The South Oxhey housing estate was originally one of several built by the London County Council outside London in the immediate post-war years of the late 1940s and early 1950s to provide residences for Londoners whose homes had been damaged in the war or were otherwise of poor quality. Management of the estate passed to the Greater London Council in 1965, and eventually, in 1980, to Three Rivers District Council, although it is estimated that at least 70% of the property is now privately owned. Offerton House is one of several original blocks of flats of very similar design on the estate and is on the north side of Oxhey Drive.

This footpath leads from Furze Close to Muirfield Road. The edge of Oxhey Woods can be seen on the left, beyond the grass. Oxhey Woods is the largest Local Nature Reserve (LNR) in Three Rivers District. The character of the woods is varied, created by centuries of management for a variety of woodland products. Prestwick Road and Oxhey Drive divide the woods into three separate areas. The woods are an important Wildlife Site, notable for the rare Wild Service Tree. Sometimes known as the ‘Chequers Tree’ because of its distinctively patterned bark, the leaves and berries form the LNR logo. Some parts of the LNR are ancient woodland, having been continuously covered by woodland for at least four hundred years, and possibly up to ten thousand years. Wild Service Tree is one of the indicators of ancient woodland. Features such as sunken pathways, earth banks and ditches can also be seen. In the past these earth works often marked boundaries between different land uses and ownership. The London LOOP passes through Oxhey Woods and the woods are an important resource for the residents of the South Oxhey Estate.

Oxhey Drive bisects the South Oxhey Estate from west to east. Here it is leaving Oxhey Woods on the left on its way downhill to Carpenders Park. Oxhey Woods is the largest Local Nature Reserve (LNR) in Three Rivers District. The character of the woods is varied, created by centuries of management for a variety of woodland products. Prestwick Road and Oxhey Drive divide the woods into three separate areas. The woods are an important Wildlife Site, notable for the rare Wild Service Tree. Sometimes known as the ‘Chequers Tree’ because of its distinctively patterned bark, the leaves and berries form the LNR logo. Some parts of the LNR are ancient woodland, having been continuously covered by woodland for at least four hundred years, and possibly up to ten thousand years. Wild Service Tree is one of the indicators of ancient woodland. Features such as sunken pathways, earth banks and ditches can also be seen. In the past these earth works often marked boundaries between different land uses and ownership. The London LOOP passes through Oxhey Woods and the woods are an important resource for the residents of the South Oxhey Estate.

This area of the woods, to the north of Oxhey Drive, is referred to as the northern woodland, distinguishing it from the central woodland on the other side of the road.

Oxhey Woods is the largest Local Nature Reserve (LNR) in Three Rivers District. The character of the woods is varied, created by centuries of management for a variety of woodland products. Prestwick Road and Oxhey Drive divide the woods into three separate areas. The woods are an important Wildlife Site, notable for the rare Wild Service Tree. Sometimes known as the ‘Chequers Tree’ because of its distinctively patterned bark, the leaves and berries form the LNR logo. Some parts of the LNR are ancient woodland, having been continuously covered by woodland for at least four hundred years, and possibly up to ten thousand years. Wild Service Tree is one of the indicators of ancient woodland. Features such as sunken pathways, earth banks and ditches can also be seen. In the past these earth works often marked boundaries between different land uses and ownership. The London LOOP passes through Oxhey Woods and the woods are an important resource for the residents of the South Oxhey Estate. This is an entrance on Oxhey Drive.

Oxhey Woods is the largest Local Nature Reserve (LNR) in Three Rivers District. The character of the woods is varied, created by centuries of management for a variety of woodland products. Prestwick Road and Oxhey Drive divide the woods into three separate areas. The woods are an important Wildlife Site, notable for the rare Wild Service Tree. Sometimes known as the ‘Chequers Tree’ because of its distinctively patterned bark, the leaves and berries form the LNR logo. Some parts of the LNR are ancient woodland, having been continuously covered by woodland for at least four hundred years, and possibly up to ten thousand years. Wild Service Tree is one of the indicators of ancient woodland. Features such as sunken pathways, earth banks and ditches can also be seen. In the past these earth works often marked boundaries between different land uses and ownership. The London LOOP passes through Oxhey Woods and the woods are an important resource for the residents of the South Oxhey Estate. This is just north of Oxhey Drive where the path goes to Gosforth Lane.