universities Archives

The Oxford Botanic Garden in Oxford, South-East England.

Visiting Oxford Botanic Garden, Oxford: practical guide for first-timers

Oxford Botanic Garden is the oldest botanic garden in the United Kingdom, established in 1621. It's on Rose Lane beside the River Cherwell in central Oxford, managed by the University of Oxford. It holds over 5,000 different plant species across a walled garden, glasshouses, and…

Inside the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, Oxford.

Visiting the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, Oxford: practical guide for first-timers

The University Church of St Mary the Virgin is an active Anglican church on the High Street in central Oxford, directly opposite the Radcliffe Camera. It has a 13th-century tower offering the finest elevated view of Radcliffe Square available to the public. The church interior…

The Bridge of Sighs in Oxford, South-East England.

Visiting the Bridge of Sighs (Hertford Bridge), Oxford: practical guide for first-timers

The Bridge of Sighs — officially Hertford Bridge — is a covered stone footbridge spanning New College Lane in central Oxford, connecting the old and new quadrangles of Hertford College. Designed by Sir Thomas Graham Jackson and completed in 1914, it is one of the…

The faun next to the Narnia Door in Oxford that supposedly inspired Mr Tumnus in CS Lewis' Narnia books.

Visiting the Narnia Door, Oxford: practical guide for first-timers

The Narnia Door is an ornately carved wooden door on St Mary's Passage, Oxford — a narrow lane running between the University Church of St Mary the Virgin (High Street) and Radcliffe Square. The door is widely believed to have inspired C.S. Lewis's description of…

The Tower of the Five Orders in Oxford, South-East England.

Visiting the Tower of the Five Orders, Oxford: practical guide for first-timers

The Tower of the Five Orders is a five-storey Jacobean gatehouse tower on Catte Street, Oxford, forming the main entrance of the Old Bodleian Library's Schools Quadrangle. Completed between 1613 and 1620, it is unique in English architecture for displaying all five classical orders of…

The Clarendon Building in Oxford, South-East England.

Visiting the Clarendon Building, Oxford: practical guide for first-timers

The Clarendon Building is an early 18th-century Baroque building at the corner of Broad Street and Catte Street in Oxford, designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor and completed in 1715. Originally built to house the Oxford University Press, it is now used as administrative offices for the…

The Divinity School in Oxford, South-East England.

Visiting the Divinity School, Oxford: practical guide for Harry Potter fans

The Divinity School is a 15th-century Gothic hall inside the Bodleian Old Library complex on Broad Street, Oxford, widely considered the finest example of late medieval Gothic architecture in England. It is the University of Oxford's oldest surviving teaching room and the first space purpose-built…

The Radcliffe Camera in Oxford, South-East England.

Visiting the Radcliffe Camera, Oxford: practical guide for first-timers

The Radcliffe Camera is an 18th-century circular library building in Radcliffe Square, Oxford, built between 1737 and 1749 as Britain's first purpose-built circular library and now forming part of the Bodleian Libraries. It is an active working library and is not open for independent public…

Visiting Convocation House, Oxford: practical guide for first-timers

Convocation House is a 17th-century ceremonial chamber inside the Old Bodleian Library complex on Broad Street, Oxford, used for over 300 years as the meeting place of the University of Oxford's governing bodies and three times as England's Parliament during the Civil War. It is…

The Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford, South-East England.

Visiting the Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford: practical guide for first-timers

The Sheldonian Theatre is a 17th-century ceremonial hall at Broad Street, Oxford, designed by Sir Christopher Wren for the University of Oxford, and primarily used for degree ceremonies and concerts. It is open to visitors on days when events are not taking place. This guide…