Castle meadows
Walk to the mount that over looks the Castle Gardens and look over the meadows. Walk back down into the gardens and take the path that leads to the entrance which takes you to Castle Street.

Malcolm Airs talks about how the Castle may have looked

Industries: The Castle would have had a massive impact on Wallingford as it occupied one quarter of the town. It was even bigger than Windsor Castle.

Remains of the castle

You'll have to really put your imagination to work here, as very little of the Castle remains but you can be sure that everyone in the town would have been affected by its presence. By the end of the 17th century there was nothing left of the castle, and a private house was built in its place in the 18th century. A local family of lawyers, the Hedges, built a country residence here in the 19th century while their 20th century descendants leased it out as a retirement home. Finally the site was given to the town council so we can all enjoy it as a public space.

Dominic Lamb talks about Castle meadows

Conservation: Stand and look out towards the castle meadows. You'll see cattle grazing there now - Hereford cows and a friendly bull! Back in Norman times these meadows would have been flooded regularly and they may also have been used for jousting tournaments.

Castle meadows

Wildflowers have been encouraged to develop here in the hay meadows while the surrounding ditches have become home to the endangered water voles.

That naughty American mink is responsible for numbers of water voles declining by up to 80% over the last 30 years. If you're lucky you might also spot some water shrews and kingfishers there. These ditches contain water-loving plants such as purple loosestrife and sedges. The piles of deadwood in the grounds provide a home to a wide range of insects which in turn feed birds like woodpeckers and bats.

Stag beetle

The Stag Beetle is one particular insect you'll see if you study the wood. And watch out for the beautiful Painted Lady butterfly that may fly gracefully past.

Some of those trees you're looking at have been planted for landscaping purposes in Victorian times. Look carefully and see if you can spy one tree (by the pond) that towers above all the others.

The Giant Redwood

It's a Giant Redwood and is thought to be the tallest in Oxfordshire. There's even a lightening conductor on top of it to make sure it stays standing tall.

The pond was originally part of the castle moat and amphibians are now being encouraged back there. Back in the days when the castle was inhabited, that same moat would have been used as a sewer.