Library sights in Oxford
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Bodleian Library
Oxford's Bodleian Library is one of the oldest public libraries in the world, and one of England's three copyright libraries. It holds more than 7 million items on 118 miles of shelving and has seating space for up to 2500 readers.
The oldest part of the library surrounds the stunning Jacobean-Gothic Old Schools Quadrangle, which dates from the early 17th century. On the eastern side of the quad is the Tower of Five Orders, an ornate building depicting the five classical orders of architecture. On the west side is the Divinity School, the university's first teaching room. It is renowned as a masterpiece of 15th-century English Gothic architecture and has a superb fan-vault…
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Radcliffe Camera
Just south of the library is the Radcliffe Camera, the quintessential Oxford landmark and one of the city's most photographed buildings. The spectacular circular library was built between 1737 and 1749 in grand Palladian style, and has Britain's third-largest dome. The only way to see the library is to join an extended tour, which also explores the warren of underground tunnels and passages leading to the library's vast book stacks. Tours take place on some Saturdays at 10am and most Sundays at 11.15am and last about an hour and a half. Check the website for up-to-date details.
For excellent views of the Radcliffe Camera and surrounding buildings, climb the 14th-century to…
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Oxford Union
Oxford's legendary members' society is famous for its feisty debates, heavyweight international speakers and Pre-Raphaelite murals. Although most of the building is off limits to nonmembers, you can visit the library to see the murals which were painted between 1857 and 1859 by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones. The murals depict scenes from the Arthurian legends but are very difficult to see on bright days as they surround the windows. Go after dark if possible.
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