Old Bank Hotel

As the name suggests, the Grade II-listed building was formerly a bank. It served as Oxford’s main branch of Barclays Bank from 1775 until 1998 when it was purchased by prominent art collector Jeremy Mogford and transformed into a hotel. Most of the complex dates from the Georgian period although there are parts that date as far back as the 14th century.

The hotel consists of 43 guest rooms. All rooms are air-conditioned and feature comfortable queen-size beds, a work desk, a flatscreen television, a minibar, tea and coffee making facilities and en-suite bathrooms with a shower and bath. Higher-end rooms have Nespresso coffee machines.

The smaller rooms are less than 15 m² (160 sq ft) which is a tad cosy for a luxury hotel although larger rooms are much roomier. The best rooms are those facing High Street which offer lovely views of the city.

The hotel has one room on the ground floor with wheelchair access. This room overlooks the hotel’s Italian garden terrace.

All guests have free Wi-Fi wireless internet access.

The conversion from a bank into a hotel takes advantage of the historic building and the hotel features alcoves, sash windows and wood-panelled walls.

As you may expect from a hotel owned by an art collector, it has an excellent art collection, which includes Paddy Summerfield’s “Handheld” collection (commissioned for the hotel) as well as many other 20th-century paintings.

There is an exclusive guest’s library on the ground floor which is a relaxing spot to sit and read.

The Quod brasserie-style restaurant occupies the former banking hall. It has stone floors, leather banquette seating and a prominent oval bar as well as a small outdoor courtyard. Its menu is influenced by Mediterranean cuisine and it is a popular restaurant, both with locals and hotel guests, and can get busy at times. On weekdays Quod has a very good value set lunch menu.

Local legend says that the building is haunted and bank staff and former residents (prior to its conversion to a bank) have reported ghostly activity. However, no reports of supernatural occurrences have been reported since opening as a hotel.

Although there is no on-site fitness centre, guests get free passes to a nearby gym and bicycles are available for guests to use free of charge. The hotel also runs a free walking tour of the city using the hotel’s own in-house guide.

The hotel has a very central location on High Street across the road from the University Church of St Mary the Virgin and it is only a short walk (only a minute or two) the central tourist area of the University of Oxford (which includes the Bodleian Library, Radcliffe Camera and the Bridge of Sighs). Carfax Tower (which is generally regarded as the centre of Oxford) is only a four-minute walk, Christchurch Meadows are only a five-minute walk away and Magdalen Bridge, Magdalen College and the University of Oxford Botanic Garden are only a seven-minute walk from the hotel.

It is a 15-minute walk to Oxford railway station and a 10-minute walk to Gloucester Green bus station.

Guests have free parking in a secure car park which is unusual for such a centrally-located hotel. It is particularly unusual in a city where even suburban hotels charge for parking.

If you can afford it, the Old Bank Hotel is the perfect place to stay in Oxford. It has a great location and staying in the restored historic building makes you feel like you are at one with the city. The main drawback (apart from the price) is that some of the cheaper rooms are a bit small.