IT WAS once the last place on earth anyone in Oxfordshire would want to spend the evening.

But five years since its multi-million pound transformation, Oxford Castle, formerly the city’s jail, has become a top tourist destination and stylish night spot.

The castle complex was reopened after a £36m revamp in May 2006 by the Queen and celebrated its fifth birthday yesterday.

In that time the 1,000-year-old site, originally a Norman fortress, has become home to seven restaurants, flats, a high end boutique hotel, art galleries, and a popular ghost tour.

The rejuvenation of the historic site was down to a partnership between Oxfordshire County Council, the Oxford Preservation Trust and the Trevor Osborne Property Group.

Mr Osborne said: “We’re incredibly proud of what we have achieved here over the past five years.

“From our initial project to secure a long term, sustainable future for these important buildings and monuments, we have created a new vibrant cultural centre for Oxford, comprising restaurants, a luxury hotel, a major visitor attraction and a year round calendar of events.

“This has been achieved while keeping the historical legacy of the Oxford Castle site very much alive and accessible to anyone who visits.”

In the past five years a number of restaurants have come and gone from the site, including the Ha! Ha! Bar, and Carluccio’s, with the recession being blamed for a decline in the number of people eating out.

But the addition of a Wetherspoon pub, the Swan and Castle, has proved a hit with drinkers, and a host of well attended events such as the Christmas Markets, Summer Night Tribute concerts, and, more recently, the May Day festivities, have kept footfall high.

General manager Jean-Pierre Morilleau said his team was proud of the achievements made over the past five years and looking forward to the future, which could see a high-end Indian restaurant added to the complex.

Mr Morilleau said it was now up to the developers of the Westgate to make the changes to the rest of the area.

He said: “The Westgate project was supposed to have been opened this year.

“But it is back on the cards again and this will be a big part of it.”

He added: “We are changing the whole area, and we couldn’t be happier.

“This was once a part of the city that people did not want to come to, the back end of Oxford.

“People saw it as a dangerous part of town.

“But now it is very much the place to be.”