he Bath Place Hotel is a cluster of seventeenth century cottages surrounding a tiny flagstone courtyard in the heart of Oxford.

The cottages were built in the early sixteen hundreds by Flemish weavers who won permission to build against the outside of the city wall. It is believed there had previously been a communal well and bath house on the site. Going even further back in history, the area now known as Bath Place would have been part of the medieval defence area, being at the foot of the city wall.

Very little of the original city wall remains. However, parts of it are exposed on the back wall of the present dining room, and one can see a well preserved section of it from several of the hotel windows.

The cottages nestle between New College, one of the University's oldest colleges, and Hertford College, established in the thirteenth century. The New College Bell Tower, which has been in continual use since the thirteenth century, is visible from many of the hotel's rooms.

The Turf Tavern beside the hotel is the oldest in the city. Originally known as the Spotted Cow, the inn was renamed last century because it had become known as a centre for illicit gambling, including bear-baiting and cock-fighting.

The Bath Place cottages were domestic dwellings until nineteen-hundred. Their occupants were drawn from the lowest ranks of society but the cottages remained important to Oxford's cultural heritage. The daughter of a stockman born in one of the cottages became the inspirational ideal of female beauty behind the Pre-Raphaelite movement; she was discovered by Dante Gabrielle Rossetti and the poet Edward Burn-Jones. Both fell in love with her and used her as the centrepiece of their work. The buildings are also mentioned in Thomas Hardy's novel, Jude the Obscure.

In nineteen-hundred Merton College bought the cottages from Oxford City Council for use as student accommodation. The rooms were a sign of status and were often passed on from one privileged student to another.

Ex-students, many now in their eighties often return to visit the hotel, even today.

King Edward the Seventh often visited acquaintances lodging at Bath Place. The well known authoress Dorothy L. Sayers lived at Bath Place in the nineteen-twenties and has written about her experiences here.

In the late sixties a local character and landlord or the Turf Tavern called Wally Ellse converted the cottages into a modest bed and breakfast, which he ran successfully up until the early eighties. One anecdote from those days is that Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor used it as a secret rendezvous when Burton was acting at the Oxford Playhouse before their marriage.

When Wally died in the early eighties the buildings stood empty and became very dilapidated until the Fawsitt family purchased them and completed a total refurbishment creating the Bath Place Hotel. The hotel now in its 18th year is still family-run and has gained a high reputation. The rich history and unique character of the buildings continues to attract visitors from all over the world.