Earth Trust Centre

Welcome to Earth Trust

Our Centre is the hub of Earth Trust Farm and includes: the office; Earth Lab, where our education activities take place; Innovation Hub, Fison Barn and Poem Tree barns available to hire for weddings, celebrations and corporate events.

Our newly opened Welcome Hub is the perfect spot to find out more about the work we do at Earth Trust, where you’ll also find barista coffees, premium teas, cold drinks, locally sourced tray bakes, snacks and ice cream. Open weekdays 10am – 3pm.

During the week the office gardens are often being used by education groups; when not in use please feel free to explore – we have a wild play area and sensory garden with ponds.

The car park is open during office hours for visitors to the Centre. We do not currently have electric vehicle charging facilities at Earth Trust Centre however we are hoping to address this during 2025. Find out where public EV charging points are in Oxfordshire and beyond using Zap Map. View a map and full details of Park and Charge fast EV charging hubs across Oxfordshire on the Park and Charge Oxfordshire website.

What to see

Earth Trust Centre is a great place to start your exploration of the Wittenham Clumps and surrounding areas. Head across the road to the Clumps, Little Wittenham Woods or down towards Broad Arboretum.

History

Our beautiful timber-framed office was constructed in 2006, with the help of hundreds of volunteers from around the world; it won a ‘Best in British Timber’ award in 2008. Whilst the office is relatively new, the barns date back to the nineteenth century. The name Fison Barn comes from the Fison family who used to own the farm.

In 2020, we worked with DigVentures to excavate land at our centre and discover more about the people who lived here centuries ago. The exciting finds have confirmed that people lived and worked here from the Bronze Age (c.2,000 BC) right through to the end of the Roman period (c.410 AD).

Our award winning skills building – Earth Lab – was constructed in 2021 and demonstrates new thinking in integrating nature and ecosystems with the built environment.

Management

Volunteers continue to play a key role in looking after the Centre – managing the gardens and helping with essential maintenance tasks.

Facilities available

Defibrillator – Earth Trust Centre car park is installed with a defibrillator. These life-saving devices are listed on the national registry at defibfinder.uk/ as well as being registered on British Heart Foundation’s Defibrillator network.

Resources for cyclists – The centre has bike racks and a bike fixing station which visitors are welcome to use.