A complex of redundant 19th century barns in Little Wittenham has undergone a transformation - and what lies inside charts the epic changes to our landscape.

Project Timescape, the Northmoor Trust's new £700,000 visitor centre, opened its doors to the public for the first time last weekend.

The culmination of seven years' planning and design, its interactive exhibitions chart the south Oxfordshire landscape as it has evolved over the last 10,000 years.

Focusing on the area around the Wittenham Clumps nature reserve, visitors are transported back to the end of the last Ice Age to see how the actions of man have shaped that landscape.

But Timescape also takes visitors into the future, showing how decisions today will shape the environment of tomorrow.

Ben Earl, the trust's communications director, said: "Timescape is about inspiring people to see the connection between their local landscape and the actions they take on a daily basis.

"It also looks to the future and how we will carry on interacting in terms of farming, energy and so on. We want people to go home and think about the decisions they take."

The centre is the final part of a £3.5m project that has included new timber-framed offices at Hill Farm, in-depth conservation work. and archaeological studies on the clumps themselves.

Mr Earl said it also reflected changing attitudes within conservation.

He said: "It used to be all about buying a nature reserve and then doing all you could to save a particular thing on that site.

"But the world is changing and we're now looking at how conservation can affect people in their homes and their gardens.

"How we can change the landscape over time to benefit wildlife and integrate that with productive means like farming - Project Timescape is all about that."

The centre itself gives visitors the chance to learn about man's relationship with the local landscape through a series of interactive exhibitions.

Claire Poulton, the trust's director of education, said the final interactive station was about getting people to take the ideas of Timescape back to their own landscapes.

She said: "The first thing is to look at everyday life and ask what do you do and will it change the landscape?'"

A computer asks visitors questions about their lifestyle, such as how they fill the kettle and where their food comes from. Each answer affects the landscape and the consequences are shown on the big screen.

Mrs Poulton said: "The interactive display shows how decisions change the landscape and at the end you get a score to show how well you have done.

"You can email the results back to your home computer along with information on how you can do better."

For more information and for details of opening times visit www.projecttimescape.co.uk