“It’s like a prison” is usually a term of scorn; at Oxford Castle it is factually accurate, but this is one prison where residents and visitors alike are entirely happy to do time. The historic prison has been regenerated into a lively location for living and socialising in Oxford’s West End.
Oxford Gaol, encompassing Oxford Castle, had been closed to the public for more than 200 years until Oxfordshire County Council bought it. A partnership of The Trevor Osborne Property Group, Oxfordshire Couny Council, South East England Development Agency and Oxford Preservation Trust have bought this historic five acre site in the heart of the city back to life as a mixed use scheme comprising a Malmaison Hotel, restaurants, 40 apartments, a café, art gallery and heritage centre.
Our judges commended the scheme as: “an extremely interesting quality conversion”. The priority of the five architects working on the project was to maintain as much of the original fabric as possible, and design new buildings to complement the existing. Apartments are located above restaurants in a new build element of the scheme, and have been designed by Architects Design Partnership and Panter Hudspith.
A number of entries in this category struggled to fulfil the definition of mixed use, but the judges noted that the winner’s blend of residential, leisure and cultural uses makes it a true mixed use scheme, and one whose vibrancy is evidence of its popularity with both local people and visitors in Oxford.
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