I'm not sure what the reviewer below was doing throughout the tour but he evidently wasn't paying attention.
Great trip out, started with an introductory film starting from the 12th century Norman invasion. We then climbed the steep Saxon tower (over a thousand years old) hearing various grisly tales of its previous occupants from our costumed guide (a rather dashing highwayman).
Next we were shown into the Norman crypt which is supposed to be haunted but struck me as a rather peaceful place.
Then onto D wing, part of the later prison built in the 18th century where eventually we were 'set free' to roam, take in the atmosphere and read up on prison history from the numerous displays. Finally we went up and down the original Norman mound outside.
Fantastic way to spend an hour and our guide was wonderful, mixing historical tales in an informative but humorous manner and answering competently all the questions thrown at him. The only (slight) disappointment was on the mound. The Norman well chamber is rarely open, so I was informed, but it would have been great to have seen this.
All in all top marks, going back to the review below the Malmaison hotel nearby (formerly A wing) is now merely that: although they do have a couple of original cells still present there is nothing much to learn there.
Margaret, 04/03/09
Rather disappointing. We expected to see the history of the site - instead we climbed a tower and discovered very little. The interesting bits to see are contained within the adjacent hotel.
David Lewis, 23/02/09
Oxford Castle Unlocked is looking after our lifelong learning with thought provoking monthly events held at the newly opened bright and airy Key Learning Centre. Tickets for one of the 90 minute sessions cost £5 and can be booked by telephoning 08702 411414 or popping into Unlocked. Facilitated brilliantly by Education Officer Helen de May, a growing number of Oxford Castle enthusiasts are now able to peel away the layers of history that lie beneath our feet. At the inaugural talk Debbie Dance, Director of Oxford Preservation Trust, explains how an idea described in 1944 progressed into the Visitor Attraction we see today. In the second lecture in the series, visitors are offered the chance to explore the location with an archaeologist, pointing out the newly excavated Saxon foundation wall. The wall once concealed a stone coffin containing a skeleton with the skull resting at the bones of his feet (as reported by Jackson's Oxford Journal in 1789)! Links between a celebrated local photographer, Henry Taunt, and the Castle have been explored in the subsequent talk given by Dr Malcolm Graham, Head of Oxfordshire Studies.
In the first event of the New Year Carl Boardman, County Archivist, presents the oral histories taken from a colourful collection of prisoners and gaolers to determine just how grim 'Life on the Inside' truly was. It transpires the castle was at one time used to lock up clerics or early students in Henry III's reign, 1216. The engaging 'Q&A' from each session often flows seamlessly into the subject matter for the next month's talk. February's forthcoming event is now booking! Trevor Rowley, Emeritus Fellow of Kellogg College, will on Wednesday 21st at 10am present 'Oxford Before the University'. Oxford's early history from Roman times to the emergence of the University will no doubt provide many interesting insights as to how the views now enjoyed from the top of Saxon Tower may have changed through time.
The events serve to connect the intrigued patron with the location. Local history author Mark Davies will take a group out along the waterside to show first hand the influence of prison governor Daniel Harris on a forthcoming 'Castle and River Walk' (12th May, 10am). Typically the lecturers are experts in their field. Peter Forsaith of The Wesley Centre will speak about 'The Wesleys in Oxford' (22nd March, 2.30pm) and Simon Chaplin, Senior Curator of the Hunterian Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons addresses 'The dissection of criminals in the 18th Century' (17th April, 6pm). Unlike the mysterious yet now extinct gaol fever that was epidemic in 16th Century prisons, 'Unlocked' events fire an enthusiasm for local history that is catching. Grab your spiral bound notebook and spread the word!
Lita Doolan, 06/02/07
Oxford's newest tourist attraction, opened by Her Majesty on the 5th May, draws local and international visitors alike and part of the joy of the tour is hearing other people's diverse reactions to Oxford's gory history. A time line leads the visitor past the grassy mound to the modern glass front of the 'Unlocked' shop where tour tickets are purchased. The jewel in the site’s crown is the Norman Crypt (1074). Carvings on the short fat limestone pillars ornament the cobbled floor where dead bodies taken from the gallows would be stored, possibly along with food provisions for the castle, ('this is medieval England!'). The Romanesque round arches of the crypt originally supported the Castle's Chapel of St George where Historian Geoffrey of Monmouth is believed to have taught, mid 12th century. Unfortunately neither the chapel or the castle's Great Hall survived the wrath of Cromwell's armies, ('if it wasn't Cromwell it was Henry the Eighth!'). In place of the chapel stands the Debtors’ Tower where the bankrupts, frequently half of the prison population, would be held in hideous conditions until they could pay their creditors.
Wandering up from the crypt you come to the Saxon tower of St George (1006), a guided tour of which often starts the visit. 101 steps lead to the top but a pause is taken half way up in Empress Matilda's room. Henry I's daughter Matilda took over Oxford Castle (1142) to strengthen her position against Stephen, her cousin and challenger to the throne. As Stephen's armies closed in on her, Matilda and three knights escaped capture by walking along a frozen River Thames towards Wallingford one snowy moonlit December night, all dressed in white for camouflage.
The view from the top of St George's tower is unique in that it contains all the major Oxford Colleges in one glance as well as giving the viewer the feeling of being in a vale. Wytham Hill is visible on a clear day. Crossbow slits, darkened from the burning of oil, dotted around the roof remind the viewer that this old Saxon fort is positioned over the castle mill stream for military purposes. Unparalleled views of what is now traffic up and down what was then the main course of River Thames enabled the Saxons to employ Oxford as a strategic base to defend Wessex against the Danes (912).
Later there is time to roam with an audio guide that acts as a narrator showing the visitor around the old prison D wing, built in 1795 by the prisoners themselves. Each of the 'one man' cells displays maps and letters that tell the stories of prominent figures incarcerated in Oxford Castle Gaol, such as Mary Blandy, a high class Henley lady convicted of patricide (1752). The top corridor of D wing contains a padded cell and offers the chance to try tasks used to occupy Victorian prisoners such as the treadmill and turning the crank, ('just hope none of the jailers tighten the screw!'). You can try on a prison uniform, have a prison mug shot taken and lie on a Victorian prison bed in this interactive section.
The visit ends with some startling statistics. Two thirds of prisoners re-offend after release and in-mates have their phone calls charged at a premium rate. The recollections of recent offenders are the most stirring; one in-mate comments on how he dreads coming out because of the lack of opportunity and prejudice that faces him on release.
It cannot be denied that this is Oxford Castle in the 21st century and on release the delights of a Krispy Kreme beckon, but not before the grassy mound is bagged! Built with Saxon slave labour under the command of Robert d'Oilly in 1071; the mound in addition to 5 towers was added to create a Norman castle built around the pre-existing St George's tower that Oxonians have been unable to climb for centuries. Shout it from the highest towers, Oxford Castle is truly 'Unlocked'!
Lita Doolan, 16/10/06
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