Oxford Castle

The walled site of Oxford Castle has been used as a place of incarceration since 1071, continuing until the closure of HM Prison in 1996. The old buildings have been preserved and are now open to the public revealing a time capsule - allowing the buildings to tell their story. The Castle has been redeveloped as a shopping and heritage complex, with open courtyards for markets and theatrical performances. The scheme also includes a luxury hotel, apartments and a bar/restaurant/venue complex. This is the first time in the UK that a modern prison has been turned into a hotel. It appeared as the hotel in the television series Lewis - the Inspector Morse spin-off.