Oxford Castle Unlocked

An ancient site of incarceration (since 1071) offering a highly atmospheric history lesson spanning ten centuries, with hands on displays and real life prisoner stories. Quirky costumed tour guides are available every 20 minutes.

The old buildings have been preserved and are now open to the public revealing a time capsule: allowing the buildings to tell their captivating 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!

Tours leave every 20 minutes from the admissions area in the Gift Shop and last 40 minutes with one of the experienced, costumed guides. After this time you are able to explore the Prison Wing and the wider castle site in your own time.

Probably not for the more sensitive kids, it's not gruesome but enthralling.

Led by one of our costumed character guides, the rich history of the castle is revealed as you...

• Climb the Saxon St George’s Tower, one of Oxford’s oldest building, and enjoy its stunning 360° views

• Descend deep underground into the dark atmosphere of the 900 year old Crypt 

• Explore the austere confines of the 18th century Debtors’ Tower and Prison D-Wing 

• Scale the Mound of the 11th century motte-and-bailey castle

There are a selection of  cross-curricular workshops available to choose from at Oxford Castle Unlocked. Enrich your guided tour of the Castle and Prison with a hands-on workshop delivered in

The Key Learning Centre which focuses on your learning objectives using the castle's 1000 year history as a tool to further understanding in a range of topics.

Workshops offer a mix of activities including evidence handling, role play, literacy development and practical problem solving.

Suitable for KS1 - KS5, sessions can be linked to national curriculum history, geography, citizenship, literacy, design technology, art and much more. Please note workshops can only be booked in conjunction with a group tour.

Click here to learn about our Primary School Workshops - KS1 & KS2

Click here to learn about our Secondary School Workshops - KS3 - KS5