Greyfriars Place

Old Greyfriars Street, Oxford, GB

Rating: 3.7 ★ (9 ratings)

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Nestled on Old Greyfriars Street, Greyfriars Place stands on a site steeped in centuries of history. The original Greyfriars was a Franciscan friary founded way back in 1224, playing a significant role in Oxford's early university life. Imagine the Franciscan friars, sworn to a life of poverty, establishing their community here, eventually with the support of King Henry III who even granted them land known as the 'Paradise Garden'. Although the medieval friary was suppressed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, its legacy continues. The name 'Greyfriars' itself is a reminder of this long and influential past, with street names in the vicinity like Roger Bacon Lane and Paradise Square still echoing this historical connection.

While the original structures have long since vanished, replaced over time by various buildings including a later iteration of Greyfriars as a Permanent Private Hall of Oxford University until 2008, the area retains a deep sense of its past. Today, the location offers a unique juxtaposition of ancient roots and modern city life. Visitors to Old Greyfriars Street find themselves a stone's throw from the bustling Westgate Oxford shopping centre and the historic Oxford Castle. A collection of decorated tiles that once formed the medieval cloister floor of the Greyfriars friary can even be seen displayed nearby, a tangible link to the 13th-century beginnings of this intriguing Oxford location.

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