ɪt wʌz loʊkˈeɪɾᵻd nˌɪɹ ðə tʃˈɜːtʃ ʌv sənt mˈaɪkəl æt ðə nˈɔːɹθ ɡˈeɪt; ðə pɹˈɪzən kənsˈɪstᵻd ɪn fˈækt ʌv ɹˈuːmz ɪn ɐ wˈɑːtʃtaʊɚ baɪ ˈɑːksfɚdz nˈɔːɹθ ɡˈeɪt, ðə tˈaʊɚ bˌiːɪŋ ɐtɹˈɪbjuːɾᵻd tə ɹˈɑːbɚt dˈɔɪli, ɐ nˈoːɹmən ʌvðɪ ᵻlˈɛvənθ sˈɛntʃɚɹi, ðˌoʊ ˈɔːlsoʊ sˈɛd təbi ɚɹˈɪdʒɪnəli ɐ sˈæksən kənstɹˈʌkʃən ʌv sˈiː. wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd fˈɪfti; ðə ɡˈeɪt ɪtsˈɛlf wʌz kˈɔːld ˈɔːlsoʊ bəkˈɑːɹdoʊ ɡˈeɪt.
It was located near the church of St Michael at the North Gate; the prison consisted in fact of rooms in a watchtower by Oxford's North Gate, the tower being attributed to Robert D'Oyly, a Norman of the eleventh century, though also said to be originally a Saxon construction of c. 1000–50; the gate itself was called also Bocardo Gate.