Oxford | Alumni-Led Walking Tour w/opt New College

Starting as early as 1096 with some form of teaching, Oxford is the oldest English-speaking university in the world.

Founded in 1264 AD, Merton is one of the oldest colleges in Oxford. It is home to the oldest academic library in continuous use anywhere in Europe, which was built between 1373 and 1378. The buildings around the College span many time periods and illustrate several different architectural styles. The oldest buildings still standing date to the 1280s. The current student body comprises c. 700 students (equally divided between undergraduates and graduates).

The world-famous Bodleian Libraries is a must-see cultural destination in the heart of Oxford. The Bodleian Library was founded by Sir Thomas Bodley and officially opened in 1602. Since then the Bodleian libraries has grown to be the largest academic library system in the UK. In its reading rooms, generations of famous scholars have studied through the ages, amongst them monarchs, Nobel Prize winners, British Prime Ministers and writers including Oscar Wilde, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. At the site, you can explore historic spaces that you might recognise from popular films and TV series such as Harry Potter and A Discovery of Witches. We also offer free, inspiring exhibitions featuring the libraries’ rich collections, two unique gift shops and a lovely café.

Considered one of the oldest university buildings in the world, this is a superb example of Church Architecture from the 13th century. Standing in the very centre of Oxford, the University Church is the spiritual heart of the oldest university in Britain.

Founded by Henry VI and Henry Chichele in 1438, the college today serves primarily as an academic research institution at the University of Oxford.

Founded in 1282 by Elias de Hertford, this Oxford College has educated many leading figures in British life over the centuries including John Donne, the 17th-century poet, Thomas Hobbs, political philosopher, and Jonathan Swift, famous satirist.

Founded in 1326 by King Edward II, this is the fifth oldest college at Oxford University.

This distinctive circular building is a beautiful piece of classical architecture and one of Oxford’s most iconic sights. Built independently of the Bodleian, it’s named after the royal physician, John Radcliffe who had left money in his will to purchase land, build a library, purchase books, and pay a full-time librarian. The camera, simply meaning ‘room’, was built 1737 – 1749 and designed by the leading architect James Gibbs. With its growing collections, the Bodleian took over the Radcliffe Camera in 1860 to expand its book storage facilities.

Exeter College

Jesus College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship Street, Cornmarket Street and Market Street.

The Divinity School is a medieval building and room in the Perpendicular style characterised by its rich ornamentation and tracery. The building, which belongs to the University of Oxford, is attached to the Bodleian Library (the main research library of the University of Oxford,), and is opposite the Sheldonian Theatre where students matriculate and graduate. At the far end from the Bodleian Library entrance, a door leads to Convocation House (the lower floor of the Bodleian Library and Divinity School). Designed between 1423 and 1488 specifically for lectures, oral exams and discussions on theology, was almost ‘certainly the building that popularised Tudor arches’.