Excavations carried out on Friar Street in 1997 at the location of a proposed extension Marks and Spencer store by the Oxford Archaeological Unit revealed successive layers of old buildings, some of which date back to the 13th century.

[2] The Frank Matcham-designed Royal County Theatre, built in 1895, was located on the south side of Friar Street.

[3] The opening of a Sainsbury's supermarket in 1963 led to the closure of many smaller shops.

For six years (up until 2018), Friars Walk was known as "The Mall" and used as a venue for airsoft and immersive zombie survival games.

[6][7][8] Zed Events have since moved the Zombie Mall experience to a new site to allow for demolition of Friars Walk as part of the Station Hill development.