When I say: "Oxford Castle", does that immediately conjure pictures of jail cells, various forms of torture equipment, fine dining and an elegant but overexpensive hotel? Thought not. Yet, this is what I discovered, on the SS&E (Social Sciences and Economics) field trip, during our strategy meeting.
After the hot and stuffy Athena room, the tour around the castle made for a nice change. Our "warden", brought us up the tower, allowed us to admire the spectacular views of Oxford (see pic below) and then led us through the catacomb and cell complex. Apparently, the Castle has a rather lively history and has been "operational" since 1040, with the last prisoners leaving the grounds in the 1990s.
Quite a few ghost stories were told - these did not seem to impress the group in the slightest.
After wandering around, viewing the various modes of torture and the claustrophobically small cells (this would never be acceptable in a Dutch prison - no Playstations, DVD-recordables or mini-bars were to be found on the premises), we crossed the courtyard and entered the beautifully restorated Malmaison Hotel (www.malmaison-oxford.com/).
Had a good dinner - especially the dipping olive oil and cheese were memorable - and didn't take pics of this part of the day, just too busy eating good food and tasting nice wine in a relaxed atmosphere.
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