A TRAIL of discovery unlocked access to a host of historical treasures hiding around Oxford city.

‘Wide-eyed’ residents explored rarely-seen spaces at the weekend for the annual Oxford Open Doors festival.

Organised by Oxford Preservation Trust (OPT) in partnership with Oxford University, the event opened up scores of venues including colleges and libraries, many with free entry.

Among the most popular attractions was the Painted Room in Cornmarket, boasting beautifully-preserved wall art and usually out-of-bounds to the public.

OPT’s director Debbie Dance said people queued out of the door to climb the winding stars into the room, which lies above the Vodafone shop next to Betfred.

She told the Oxford Mail: “We can’t tell [for sure] yet, but we think it’s the busiest Open Doors ever. The whole weekend people were wide-eyed, they were coming in and smiling - people really seem to enjoy it and have taken ownership of it. It feels like a part of Oxford.

“This is a key event where we engage with the people of Oxford and give them an opportunity to share its wonderful heritage. It is a fabulous place; every year we are able to pull together a different programme.”

Addressing people in the Painted Room yesterday, crammed full of intrigued visitors, she said: “The wall paintings date back to 1508 - the reason they survived is because by 1600 it had become a panelled room. No-one knew it was there.

“In 1927 a gentleman’s outfitter was doing work to the flat above his shop, when he went behind the panel and found this. He is a bit of a hero - he realised he had something special. Lots of these walls [elsewhere] have gone because builders didn’t care about them. This has remained vibrant because it was covered up for so long.”

The Painted Room is also known within the trust as ‘ the place where Shakespeare slept’, as it was formerly a pub called the Crown Tavern, in which the great writer was thought to have stayed.

Among dozens more stops on the Open Doors festival was County Hall, which opened up access to the Old Court Rooms with its grim tunnel to Oxford Prison.

At the same venue was a 64-metre long mosaic recreation of The Bayeux Tapestry, which is on display on certain days until December 8.

Michael Linton crafted the masterpiece with tiny shards of metal over 33 years, and it holds the Guinness World Record for the worlds largest steel mosaic. Mr Linton noted Oxford’s historical connection, as Norman nobleman Robert d’Oiley, who built Oxford Castle, is depicted in the mosaic.