Oxford Castle - Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK
Posted by: 
wildwoodke
N 51° 45.105 W 001° 15.774
30U E 619907 N 5734855
Oxford Castle is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the City of Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK.
Waymark Code: WMDRMW
Location: Southern England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 02/19/2012
Views: 8
When you arrive in the morning from the train and want to go on a tour later, book it. Regardless of whether they say there will be room, there is limited space and you may be disappointed.
The castle is desribed in Wikipedia as:
"Oxford Castle is a large, partly ruined Norman medieval castle situated on the west edge of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England. The original moated, wooden motte and bailey castle was replaced with stone in the 11th century and played an important role in the conflict of the Anarchy. In the 14th century the military value of the castle diminished and the site became used primarily for county administration and for detaining prisoners. Most of the castle was destroyed during the English Civil War and by the 18th century the remaining buildings were used as Oxford's local prison. A new prison complex was built on the site from 1785 onwards and expanded in 1876; this ultimately became HM Prison Oxford. The prison closed in 1996 and was redeveloped as a hotel. Today the medieval remains of the castle, including the motte and St George's Tower, are classed as a Grade I listed building and as a Scheduled Monument."
See: (
visit link)
The tourist attraction website describes it as:
"The site 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.
Visitors to Oxford Castle - Unlocked will learn about the real people and events from the sites turbulent past: the first Oxford teachings, the owners, visionaries, activists and inmates. People like Marshall William Smith, the King’s prison keeper, who in the 1600s made Oxford Prison as feared and as notorious as Colditz; Mary Blandy a convicted murderess, who became an 18th-century celebrity; Jack Ketch, the public executioner and the man on whom the Punch & Judy hangman character was modelled; and Anne Green, who survived her own hanging and narrowly escaped being anatomised by an Oxford medical student in 1650!"
See: (
visit link)
Visit Instructions:As a suggestion for your visit log, please make every effort to supply a brief-to-detailed note about your experience at the Waymark. If possible also include an image that was taken when you visited the Waymark. Images can be of yourself, a personal Waymarking signature item or just one of general interest that would be of value to others. Sharing your experience helps promote Waymarking and provides a dynamic history of your adventures.