Hampton Gay Manor, Oxfordshire
The deserted medieval village of Hampton Gay lies on the southern bank of the River Cherwell within the modern hamlet of the same name, near Kidlington, Oxfordshire. Amongst the village earthworks are the Grade II listed ruins of the 16th-century Hampton Gay manor, which was included on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register (HAR) in 2022 due to the ‘immediate risk of further rapid deterioration or loss of fabric’.
The Heritage at Risk register identifies designated assets within the country that are most at risk of decline. Cotswold Archaeology was commissioned on behalf on the landowner to prepare a costed management proposal to stabilise the ruins and prevent further deterioration. The project was funded as part of the Countryside Stewardship Scheme.
Cotswold Archaeology operated as the principal contractor for the project, coordinating with other specialists to understand the condition of the ruin and its wider heritage significance, and the ecological and arboricultural (tree) sensitivities of the site. Outputs included:
- our desk-based assessment and statement of significance
- a structural survey (Mann Williams)
- an ecological appraisal
- a ground level tree roots assessment
- a bat and barn owl survey (Bernwood Ecology)
- a tree assessment report (Oakbank).
The results formed a single baseline report.
Several management constraints were identified, including weak elements within the ruins that had potential to fall, and the presence of bat roosts, which have legal implications for the timing of any works. Working within these constraints, we produced a management plan to conserve areas of the ruins with the highest heritage significance, while consolidating those parts with the highest potential to fall, reducing the risk of further deterioration. The recommended works also included removal of vegetation.
As a result of these recommended works, now undertaken, the site has now been removed from the Heritage at Risk Register.
