A stylishly converted Oxford bank has made it into a top 10 list of converted hotels in Europe.

Owner of the Old Bank Hotel in High Street, millionaire Jeremy Mogford, said it was absolutely fantastic to be recognised.

The Old Bank, which was converted in 1999 from what was Oxford's first bank, came sixth in the list, from travel information company TripAdvisor.

Mr Mogford, said: "I am very excited that we have come in the top 10. It is based on reports from people who stay in the hotel.

"It is an accumulation of all the hard work and effort of the people who work at the hotel. They have made it a top-level independent hotel and it's due to them that the Old Bank is set apart from the group hotels."

The Old Bank, which cost £4m to convert from a Barclays Bank, has an average nightly rate of about £230.

It was beaten to the top spot by Hotel Im Wasserturm, a former water tower, in Cologne, Germany.

Oxford's luxury four-star hotel, with an 18th-century facade, was the first to open in the city centre for 135 years.

Mr Mogford, 59, from Little Milton, says the hotel's main attraction is its position - with views over the city's spires, the towers of All Souls College, and the dome of the Radcliffe Camera.

He added: "This is the first time we have been recognised in the TripAdvisor top 10 converted hotels. To think that the Old Bank was included in a European-wide assessment is brilliant."

The founder of Browns restaurants spent 14 months converting the Old Bank - which comprises an 18th-century building and an adjoining medieval structure - into the 42-bedroom luxury hotel. The Quod Bar and Grill is housed in what was once the old banking hall, on the ground floor.

The interior is decorated throughout with Mr Mogford's personal collection of modern British art which he has collected during the last 35 years.

French interior designer Gladys Wagner designed the bedrooms, using silks, linen, and suede.

After selling Browns, Mr Mogford moved into the hotel business and bought the Old Parsonage Hotel, and Gee's Restaurant, both in Banbury Road, Oxford.

He said: "The Old Bank had hotel written all over it.

"It was the perfect size and located on one of Oxford's most beautiful streets.

"My next step is to concentrate on the three businesses and to make them better - with the help of all the people who work with me."