Oxford Castle & Prison

Oxford Castle & Prison opened on 2 June 2006 and gives visitors the opportunity to learn about the real people who lived and died throughout the site’s 1000-year-old turbulent past. The site has been used as a place of incarceration since 1071, continuing until the closure of HM Prison Oxford 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.

When William the Conqueror invaded England and won the Battle of Hastings in 1066, Oxford Castle was marked by the Normans as the ideal place for a motte-and-bailey castle. Norman baron Robert O’Doyly took it upon himself to build this castle. Over time, our site transformed from a castle into a prison. Today, after one millennia, Oxford Castle & Prison is a visitor attraction with a story to tell.

GUIDED TOURS OF OXFORD CASTLE

Led by one of our costumed guides, the fascinating history of Oxford and its castle will be revealed as you…

• CLIMB the Saxon St George’s Tower, one of the oldest buildings in Oxford, and enjoy 360° panoramic views of the dreaming spires.
• DESCEND underground into the 900-year-old crypt, the only surviving remains of St. George’s Chapel. Where it is said, began the education for which Oxford is famed, and where Geoffrey of Monmouth penned the Legends of King Arthur.
• EXPLORE the austere confines of the 18th century Debtors’ Tower and Prison D-Wing.
• MARVEL the Mound of the 11th century motte-and-bailey castle.

After your tour, you will be inducted into the castle’s prison and wider site where you will be able to explore at your own leisure. Admission to the castle is by guided tour only.