Oxford Castle
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Oxford Castle, located in Oxford, was built by a Norman baron, Robert D'Oyly, in 1071 (shortly after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066).
It was originally an earth mound with a stone keep on top, known as St George's tower, and later a fifty foot wall with towers was built around the structure.
In 1120 Robert's younger brother, Nigel D'Oyly, was Lord of Oxford Castle.
It was the home of Empress Matilda in 1141 when Robert D'Oyly the younger declared his support for her over King Stephen.[1] The castle was besieged by the king for three months.[1] She escaped from the castle by being lowered over the walls, supposedly dressed in white to act as a camouflage in the snow. She passed through the enemy lines and across the Castle Mill Stream.
The site became the seat of the county government and courts although the castle had fallen into disrepair by the 14th century.
The county gaol gradually grew to take over most of the site. In 1888 it became HM Prison Oxford (Oxford Prison). As such, it was featured in a scene in the 1969 version of The Italian Job and the television series Inspector Morse. The prison has also been used as a film set on several occasions, with stars such as Gerard Depardieu, Glenn Close and Brad Pitt filming there. The prison was closed in 1996 and the site reverted to Oxfordshire County Council. It has since been redeveloped as a shopping and heritage complex, with open courtyards for markets and theatrical performances. The scheme also includes Malmaison Hotel that has converted jail cells as guest rooms, 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.
Located in Oxford city centre, it is 12 miles northwest of Wallingford Castle, also usually credited to Robert D'Oyly.
Oxford castle is now a hotel complex called Malmaison.
[edit] Bad Girls (TV Series)
The prison will also be recognised by fans of award winning ITV1 prison drama series, Bad Girls. The exterior shots that featured in Series 1–3 of the show were shot at Oxford prison, and the set itself, used in the show, is a replica of the wing set-up at Oxford.
For series 4–8, a replica set of the prison was constructed and built to look similar to Oxford. This was due to the prison in Oxford being reconstructed to become a new hotel complex.
[edit] References
- Oxford Castle Visitor Attraction
- Oxford Prison Hotel
- Oxford Archaeology article on Oxford Castle
- Oxford Castle
- Photo and other information on OxfordCityGuide.com
- Up and Coming Events and other News on OxfordCityGuide.com
- Gaol Fever — 1996 video on Oxford Castle (free to view and download)
[edit] Further reading
- Ancient plan of Oxford Castle, in The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction, Vol. 12, Issue 328, August 23, 1828, from Project Gutenberg.
