Malmaison Oxford

Oxford Castle dates from 1071 and was built by the Normans as part of William the Conqueror’s castle-building programme after the Norman Conquest. Most of the castle was destroyed during the English Civil War and the remaining buildings were used as a gaol with additional expansion of the prison facilities in the 18th and 19th centuries. It operated as a prison until 1996.

If the hotel looks familiar, it is because several films and television programmes have been filmed here including Porridge, Bad Girls, The Italian Job, Inspector Morse and The Bill. Much of this filming took place during the period between the prison closing and opening as a hotel.

Hotels in old prisons are a mixed bag. Staying in a former gaol is either a depressing form of punishment or the hotel has done such a great job with the renovation that you’ll start planning a bank heist in the hope of a longer stay. Fortunately, Malmaison does a great job at converting unique historic buildings into hotels and this conversion has transformed the prison into a hotel that is a pleasure to stay at.

Accommodation includes suites in the more modern annexe but it is the converted cells in the former prison’s A-wing that are what makes this hotel unique. To make the accommodation more comfortable, walls have been knocked down between the cells to make the rooms larger than your regular cramped prison cell. In this manner, three old prison cells are converted into a single hotel room.

The 95 air-conditioned guest bedrooms include comfortable beds, a desk, minibar, ironing facilities, tea and coffee making facilities and en-suite bathrooms with roll-top baths and big walk-in showers.

Many of the rooms have small windows with bars on them that don’t let in a lot of light, although rooms on the fourth and fifth floors have more natural light

The hotel’s four junior suites offer more room with separate living and sleeping areas and the Duplex and Executive Suites in the Governor’s House offer even more space in a split-level configuration.

There is free Wi-Fi wireless internet access throughout the hotel.

Although much of the decor is not too different from your standard contemporary hotel room, an effort has been made to preserve the historical aspects of the building and there is no doubt, particularly when walking through the main hall between the old cells, that this building was formerly used as a prison.

To get an idea of what it would have been like to stay here before it was converted into a hotel, you can take a look at one of the original cells in the basement which is complete with original metal bunk beds.

Outside the rooms, the hotel’s facilities include Chez Mal, Malmaison’s brasserie-style restaurant. There’s a lot more than just porridge on the breakfast menu and the lunch and dinner menus are based around modern British and European dishes. There is a good value prix fixe menu (Sunday–Wednesday), a bottomless brunch (with unlimited prosecco or Heineken) on Saturdays and Chez Mal also has the Sunday lunch special that Malmaison is famous for.

There is also a rooftop bar with a small outdoor space that offers lovely views over Oxford and a lovely outdoor garden area for alfresco dining.

Apart from the bar and restaurant, this hotel does not have many other facilities and unlike other hotels in this price range, there is no fitness centre or spa facilities.

The location in Oxford’s redeveloped Castle Quarter puts it smack bang in the middle of the city’s main historic neighbourhood that predates the university. It is only a five-minute walk into the heart of the city centre and a 10-minute walk to the historic university area (where you can find the Bodleian Library, Radcliffe Camera and the Bridge of Sighs). It is also around a 10-minute walk to the railway station.

Car parking is available but it is very expensive at £28.50 per night.

Photos: Malmaison Hotels [CC BY-ND 2.0]