You’re in the heart of old Oxford, with Merton College and Christ Church Meadow to the south, the Radcliffe Camera and the Bodleian Library to the north, and University College and the Botanic Gardens at Magdalen Bridge to the east. As for the Old Bank, its airy interiors are home to an exceptional collection of modern art and photography. The hub is the old tiller’s hall, now a cocktail bar and brasserie, with six arched windows overlooking the high street. Food is on tap all day long, anything from a pizza or a steak to afternoon tea, with meat from the owner’s farm and fish from the Channel Islands. Bedrooms are gorgeous: beautiful beds, pleated curtains, original art, robes in chic bathrooms. Some have sofas, others padded windows, you get flat-screen TVs and good WiFi throughout. There’s a peaceful library bar for residents, a decked courtyard for breakfast in summer, then the rarest commodity in Oxford: free off-street parking. The University Church of St Mary stands opposite, so climb its tower for the best views of Oxford. The Ashmolean and Pitt Rivers Museums are close.
