Oxford's Award Winning Castle Site

http://www.oxfordcastle.com/home.html

Oxford Castle's twelfth award is a big one!  

Oxford Castle has won one of its most prestigious accolades yet - its 12th in all - with victory in an annual award of the highest national significance.

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has awarded the scheme its Project of the Year Award for 2007.

Oxfordshire County Council bought the site from the prison service in 1997 with a vision of creating a new quarter for the city.

The council worked with developer Trevor Osborne, the South East England Development Agency and others, to deliver the project which now offers a hotel, apartments, heritage centre and restaurants. The site had previously been closed to the public for centuries. 

Simon Pott, Chairman of Judges for the award, said: "The development has brought a renewed sense of history to the area, and has already shows itself to be a major catalyst in the regeneration of Oxford's West End. All in all, it is an exceptional project."

A special judges prize was also awarded to the project for excelling in creating an environment for everyone who uses and visits the development.

Malmaison Hotel - former prison wing

Castle site restaurants

View of County Hall from Oxford Castle Tower

The Saxon Tower of Oxford Castle with the Victorian Prison attached. You can now visit the prison to see what life was like as a prisoner.

What other awards have been won?

• Civic Trust Awards 2007: National Centre Vision Award
• RICS Awards 2007: Overall winner
• RICS South East Region Awards 2007: Regeneration
• Daily Mail British Homes Awards 2007: National mixed use development of the year
• MIPIM Awards International: Hotel and tourism resorts
• Royal Institution of British Architects: South award
• Oxford Preservation Trust environmental awards 2007
• Malmaison Oxford: National hotel of the year, Caterer and Hotelkeeper Awards 2007
• Malmaison Oxford: voted an international 'hot new hotel' by Conde Nast
• RICS: National overall Project of the Year Award 2007
• Government award for Regeneration & Place Shaping
• Investors in Education Award for the Key Learning Centre

Massive addition to the city

Councillor Keith Mitchell, the leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said: "The awards just keep on coming. This is probably the most significant one yet. We are all getting used to Oxford Castle being a feature and part of our day-to-day life.

"However it is still not all that long ago that the area was closed and derelict. Oxford Castle is massive addition to the city and here's hoping that we can successfully press on with equally high-quality change in the rest of the West End."