Slade Park

Did you know Slade Park in Oxford was once an army camp? It’s true. After the army moved out families moved in. They lived in wooden huts. Imagine life then. Slade Park in Oxford wasn’t just any housing. It was a temporary home for dozens of families after the war. They made the best of it. They created a community. Life in the huts wasn’t easy. Robert Brechin described conditions as terrible. There was only one room. No water or proper heating. Yet Patrick Cummins loved it. He cherished his fifteen years there. Another resident Ian Roberts remembers exquisite artistic reminders of Italian prisoners of war. The camp housed them before the families arrived. Slade Park holds layers of history. The playground is another chapter. Parents pressured Oxford City Council. They wanted a safe play area for their children. Students from the continent helped. They built structures from leftover wood. Wayne Storey led the project. He aimed to encourage children’s imaginations. Even Ted Wheelock from nearby St Francis Church was pleased. He’d run a boys’ club there. It failed for lack of funds. The playground offered something useful. A place for children to play. A legacy remains. The playground was a testament to community spirit. Today Slade Park is student accommodation. It still offers community. The residents enjoy events. They have access to amenities. A gym a swimming pool a cinema. Slade Park has transformed. It started as an army camp. It became temporary housing. Then a children’s playground. Now it’s student accommodation. Each chapter adds to the rich history of Slade Park in Oxford. A place of transformation and community. A place with stories. A place to remember.