Spaces to visit

Spaces to visit

 

Our buildings tell the history of the University of Oxford from its medieval origins to the present day. They include some of Oxford's most beautiful and inspiring landmarks.

On this page, discover the spaces you can visit and how to go inside.

Find out more about opening times, tickets and what's on.

 

 

Blackwell Hall, Weston Library

 Great for a quick visit      Gift shop      Café     
  Free Wi-Fi
 

Blackwell Hall is our public visitor centre, on the ground floor of the Weston Library. 

Here you'll find exhibitions and displays featuring treasures from the Bodleian's collections, our café and shop, Space for Reading, and more. 

How to visit

Blackwell Hall is open every day to visitors – just drop in.

Opening hours  

 


A large stone courtyard surrounded by tall stone buildings with a tower

Old Schools Quadrangle

 Great for a quick visit     Gift shop
 

The Old Schools Quadrangle (commonly known as the 'Old Library') was built between 1613 and 1624. These buildings once housed lecture and examination rooms (‘schools’).

The original library founded by Sir Thomas Bodley was part of this complex. By 1859 the entire Schools Quadrangle had become part of the Bodleian Library complex.

How to visit

Visitors can walk around the magnificent courtyard ('quadrangle') at the centre of the Old Library. Step inside whenever the gates are open.

Opening hours  

 


Divinity School

  Ticket required    Great for a quick visit
 

Built from 1424 – 1488, the Divinity School is a masterpiece of English Gothic architecture.

Featuring a beautiful stone carved ceiling and furnishings dating back to 1669, it is the University’s oldest teaching room and first examination school. You may recognise it as the infirmary in the Harry Potter films.

How to visit

The Divinity School is open daily. Take a self-guided tour or join a library guided tour.

This space is also available to hire for weddings and events.

 


Duke Humfrey's Library

  Ticket required
 

The atmospheric heart and the oldest library room of the Bodleian Library.

Duke Humfrey's Library features a ceiling of beautifully painted panels with the arms of the University and a special reading booth built for King Charles I.

Historically the books in this library were chained to the shelves. To this day, they can only be consulted in the Bodleian's reading rooms.

How to visit

Duke Humfrey's Library is a working library, but you can go inside on a library guided tour.

 


A wood-panelled room with an elaborate fanned stone ceiling

Convocation House

  Ticket required
 

A beautiful example of an original 17th-century 'parliament house', with a stone fan-vaulted ceiling in medieval style.

For over 300 years it was the meeting place of Convocation and Congregation, the University of Oxford's two governing bodies. During the 17th century, the English Parliament met in this room three times.

How to visit

Our 30-minute and 60-minute library guided tours include a visit to Convocation House.

This space is also available to hire for weddings and events.

 


A wood-panelled room with dark wood furnishings

Chancellor's Court

  Ticket required
 

With its fan-vaulted ceiling and oak-panelled dock from the 1630s, the University’s imposing former courtroom sets the scene for proceedings of the past.

Here, students were put on trial by the University for their misdemeanours and highjinks – including Oscar Wilde during the 1870s, for failing to pay his bills.

How to visit

You can visit Chancellor's Court on a library guided tour.

 


Radcliffe Camera

  Ticket required
 

Oxford’s most iconic building and a beautiful piece of classical architecture. Built between 1737–49, this was Britain's first circular library.

The library is named after its benefactor, the royal physician John Radcliffe. In 1861 the 'Radcliffe Library' became part of the Bodleian Library and was renamed the 'Radcliffe Camera' (in Latin, camera means 'room').

How to visit

The Radcliffe Camera is a working library. Our library guided tours are the only way for members of the public to go inside.

More to explore