OXFORD Open Doors returned for its 11th year this weekend, providing visitors with access to hidden rooms, historic buildings and various landmarks across the city.

Thousands of people took the opportunity to receive special free access to countless sites, with museums, libraries and buildings revealing their secrets to the public.

Oxford Mail:

Run jointly by the Oxford Preservation Trust and Oxford University, a number of buildings not normally available for public viewing opened on Saturday and Sunday, while a few venues also opened on Thursday and Friday.

Attendees could tour Oxford Castle & Prison, meet firemen at Rewley Road station, enjoy a vintage bus ride around the city, tour various University colleges and enjoy various other buildings.

Preservation Trust Director Debbie Dance said: "We could sense the atmosphere from our Cornmarket Street hub, where hundreds of local people visited us. Many then joined the queues opposite as nearly 1,500 visitors peaked inside the Painted Room ‘where Shakespeare stayed’.

"Round the corner, Balliol college had seen 3,000 visitors by early afternoon on Saturday, with the Radcliffe Quarter including the Blavatnik and Somerville and Wadham Colleges all reporting higher figures than past years. Christ Church saw lots of local families too, many heading down to the Fire Station and Oxford Castle, where there were lots of things to do, and making sure to follow this year’s family trail in the centre of the brochure.

"Every year this wonderful city of ours can put on a different programme, so rich is it’s heritage, with its great buildings old and new, large and small.

"OPT works hard to bring this together and raise the money needed to put on the event, and keep it free. Thanks to one and all."

Professor Louise Richardson, vice-chancellor of Oxford University, added: "The University is widely accessible throughout the year but we welcome the opportunity Open Doors provides to open more of our buildings, grounds and collections to new visitors."

Oxford Mail:

This year's theme was Extraordinary People, with many places having a connection to famous characters - including Harry Potter filming locations and the former home of author C.S Lewis.

Visitors came from far and wide to take in the history, but for the first time, several tours and lectures were streamed online.

Eleanor Dix, from Kidlington, was at Oxford Castle with husband Chris and daughters Matilda, five, and Jessica, two.

She said: "We are really enjoying Open Doors - Matilda has been trying out the archery and it's a good chance to climb the Mound.

"We are also hoping to visit Lincoln College and the swing bridge at Rewley Road."

David Kyffin, former landlord of the Kings Arms pub, is now a volunteer guide at Oxford Castle.

Dressed as a Royalist to entertain visitors, he said: "I've done this for the past three years but it's very busy this year - people are booking for tours right up to about 5pm."