Nursesland

On Botley High Street, next to the pelican crossing to the school, is a small area of grass and shrubs with a paved path and a memorial seat. The site was purchased by the Parish Council in 1971 when the Charity Commission permitted the sale of a house and land known as the “Botley & Curdridge Nurse’s Home”. This was a charitable trust established in 1919 to provide accommodation for a district nurse. The garden is the site of a memorial plaque and seat dedicated to the memory of the men of Botley & Curdridge who fell in the great war 1914-1918. Three metal seats provide seating but the proximity to a busy main road can be a deterrent to peaceful relaxation.

To mark the centenary of the end of WW1 the Parish Council commissioned a special artwork for installation at the Nursesland. The artwork was designed and made by local blacksmith, Colin Phillips. It consists of one hundred wrought iron ‘poppies’ with black stems and red flowers assembled into a ‘poppy’ shape. The stems were fixed into an iron plate mounted on a cream-coloured sandstone plinth. Finally, a commemorative plaque was fixed into the ground in front of the installation The ‘poppies’ were unveiled on Sunday 11 November 2018 following the annual Remembrance Parade and Service of Remembrance.