A PROCESSION streamed through the centre of Oxford to celebrate Shakespeare's links to the city.

Scholars and civic dignitaries, including the Lord Mayor of Oxford Jean Fookes, paraded into Cornmarket yesterday morning to mark the bard's birthday.

They strode from the Lord Mayor's parlour at Oxford Town Hall to the Painted Room in Cornmarket, where Shakespeare is thought to have lodged.

The room is sandwiched between Vodafone and Betfred and is home to beautifully preserved wall paintings, and was once part of The Crown tavern.

It is thought Shakespeare, who was friends with the tavern's innkeeper John Davenant, favoured The Crown as a place to stay during trips between London and Stratford-upon-Avon.

Oxford Preservation Trust, tasked with preserving the Painted Room, described the venue as a 'hidden gem'.

A post about the room on its website recites rumours that Mr Davenant's son could actually have been Shakespeare's son, adding: "All this adds to the rich history and mystery of the Painted Room."

The procession was led by an Abingdon town crier and included medieval musicians from Oxford Waits and pupils from Oxford Spires Academy, who read aloud extracts from As You Like It.

Oxford University professor Emma Smith delivered a toast to Shakespeare.

The traditional parade dates back to 1938 but was lost for decades in the 1960s, before being revived by Oxford Preservation Trust in 2013.