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Oxford Castle is a chilling place by day with a historical timeline dating back nearly 1,000 years, with an underground crypt, dark corridors, and ancient prison cells. Still, this location takes on a whole different persona when the lights go out. There are tales of witchcraft, suicide and murder alongside the executions and imprisonment, where disease would have been rife during the early years in the vermin-infested cells.

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Built in 1071, the Castle was used as a prison until 1996. The last public hanging at the prison took place in 1863, with the latest inside the prison walls taking place in 1952. Most of the Castle was destroyed during the English civil war, and so when the war concluded, it became the local prison primarily. As with other prisons of its time, the owners, Christ Church College, leased the Castle to wardens who would profit from charging prisoners for their board and lodge. The prison was extended in 1876 to accommodate more prisoners, which included children, the youngest recorded prisoner being that of a 7-year-old girl, imprisoned for a week for stealing a pram.

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Many spirits have been reported at this location, with people seeing, sensing, and hearing things not just at night but also during the day. 
The Castle is haunted by many past prisoners, one of which is the notorious highwayman Issac Darkin. It may be a good idea to leave your valuables at home!

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Catholic priest John Napier was found guilty of heresy in 1610. He was sentenced to be hung, drawn, and quartered. Once the executioner had finished, John’s body parts were displayed as a warning to others. The family managed to gather as many as they could for burial, but they could not locate his head. John has been seen wandering the prison grounds on many occasions, maybe searching for his head? 

Mary Bland has been seen on the castle mound. Many people have reported seeing her. She was tried and sentenced for the murder of her father and hanged in 1752.

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There is the angry spirit of a monk in the crypt below the Castle. He has been seen and heard on many occasions and has been caught on voice recordings. People have reported being touched and pushed on vigils. Are you brave enough to call Bernard from the corner in which he hides? 

Doors slamming, banging from inside the cells and footsteps are regularly heard, along with the moans and desperate cries of past prisoners echoing through seemingly empty corridors. People have been touched and told to “leave” by unwelcoming spirits, along with stones being thrown, hushed conversations, and the sense of many watchful eyes teetering just on the edge of the shadows.

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Regarded as one of the most haunted buildings in the UK, this location is not for the faint-hearted and has tested the nerve of many a ghost hunter after dark.

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Are you brave enough to join the team for the night, as we do time in Oxford Castle and prison?