I spent four hours in Oxford as part of a mystery trip in June 2019. It is a city I’ve visited many times. The last visit a couple of years ago, I concentrated on the Churches and some of the less well known colleges. This time I decided to do some of the better known colleges. I debated Christ Church which is the best known and busiest of the colleges and also the most expensive to visit. Knowing it shut for a couple of hours at lunchtime, and it was already 11.30, I reluctantly decided I’d have to give it a miss again this time. I also ruled at Magdalene College as well, deciding to concentrate on Balliol and Trinity which are next to each other on Broad Street. After lunch I decided on Worcester which is on the western edge of the city centre and gets few visitors. It also has the advantage of being free and has some wonderful gardens.
They were three very different colleges with three very different college chapels, but made a good mix.
BALLIOL COLLEGE
Balliol college is the oldest college in Oxford. On Broad Street opposite the Tourist Information Office, the outside is always busy, usually with large guided groups who try and take selfies or pictures of the quadrangle without paying... The porter's office is just inside the entrance gateway and there is a charge of £3 to enter. This includes a small leaflet with a map and basic information.
In 1260 there was a dispute between the Bishop of Durham and John de Balliol, who was one of the most loyal supporters of Henry III. A penance was placed on Balliol and in 1263 he rented house just outside the town walls and paid for 16 poor scholars to live in it. After his death, his widow Dervorguilla established a permanent endowment and founded a college here.
Balliol's other claom to fame is that it was one of the first colleges to allow women to attend classes in 1884 - as long as they were ‘attended by some elder person’. Now women are welcome and it has a woman master.
Balliol College is a splendid C19th building with a gateway and tower fronting onto Broad Street.
The porter’s lodge is in the entrance. Beyond is the Front Quad, an oval area of grass, which is surrounded by older buildings, dating from the C15th. These contained the old library on the first floor which was for Fellow's use.
To the left is the new library building. The lovely oriel window is part of the Master’s Lodgings.
The chapel with its characteristic dark and pale stripes, is in the north east corner of the quad.
The Library Passageway leads into the Garden Quad. The large wooden doors at the end of the passage were the main college doors until they were replaced in the C19th. The College sold them for firewood, but were saved by one of the alumni and eventually returned to Balliol.
Also in the passageway is a list of Benefactors beginning with John Balliol.
Immediately facing the passageway is a modern sundial in the Garden Quad, erected in 2009 to commemorate 30 years of female students at Balliol.
The Garden Quad is large grassy area with mature trees. The Master’s Lodgings are in the south east corner, abutting the New library.
The student accommodation running the length of the south side of the quad is C19th to accommodate the increasing number of students.
At the far end is the splendid Hall which is was built in 1877, replacing a smaller hall.
The ground floor contains the college bar and buttery, which serves drinks and light refreshments to visitors as well as students. The dining room on the first floor is reached by a steep flight of steps. It is an impressive room with panelling around the walls, wood beamed ceiling and and pictures of past masters. Students still sit on benches at the long highly polished tables.
Above the door is an organ and there is a splendid stone fireplace.
To the right of the Hall is the Senior Common room in a mid C20th building.
The Fellow’s Garden is a small enclosed garden behind the Old Library and reached through iron gates. It is a quiet secluded spot with flower borders. The stone feature is a collection of pieces of masonry form old Broad street buildings.
They were three very different colleges with three very different college chapels, but made a good mix.
BALLIOL COLLEGE
Balliol college is the oldest college in Oxford. On Broad Street opposite the Tourist Information Office, the outside is always busy, usually with large guided groups who try and take selfies or pictures of the quadrangle without paying... The porter's office is just inside the entrance gateway and there is a charge of £3 to enter. This includes a small leaflet with a map and basic information.
In 1260 there was a dispute between the Bishop of Durham and John de Balliol, who was one of the most loyal supporters of Henry III. A penance was placed on Balliol and in 1263 he rented house just outside the town walls and paid for 16 poor scholars to live in it. After his death, his widow Dervorguilla established a permanent endowment and founded a college here.
Balliol's other claom to fame is that it was one of the first colleges to allow women to attend classes in 1884 - as long as they were ‘attended by some elder person’. Now women are welcome and it has a woman master.
Balliol College is a splendid C19th building with a gateway and tower fronting onto Broad Street.
The porter’s lodge is in the entrance. Beyond is the Front Quad, an oval area of grass, which is surrounded by older buildings, dating from the C15th. These contained the old library on the first floor which was for Fellow's use.
To the left is the new library building. The lovely oriel window is part of the Master’s Lodgings.
The chapel with its characteristic dark and pale stripes, is in the north east corner of the quad.
The Library Passageway leads into the Garden Quad. The large wooden doors at the end of the passage were the main college doors until they were replaced in the C19th. The College sold them for firewood, but were saved by one of the alumni and eventually returned to Balliol.
Also in the passageway is a list of Benefactors beginning with John Balliol.
Immediately facing the passageway is a modern sundial in the Garden Quad, erected in 2009 to commemorate 30 years of female students at Balliol.
The Garden Quad is large grassy area with mature trees. The Master’s Lodgings are in the south east corner, abutting the New library.
The student accommodation running the length of the south side of the quad is C19th to accommodate the increasing number of students.
At the far end is the splendid Hall which is was built in 1877, replacing a smaller hall.
The ground floor contains the college bar and buttery, which serves drinks and light refreshments to visitors as well as students. The dining room on the first floor is reached by a steep flight of steps. It is an impressive room with panelling around the walls, wood beamed ceiling and and pictures of past masters. Students still sit on benches at the long highly polished tables.
Above the door is an organ and there is a splendid stone fireplace.
To the right of the Hall is the Senior Common room in a mid C20th building.
The Fellow’s Garden is a small enclosed garden behind the Old Library and reached through iron gates. It is a quiet secluded spot with flower borders. The stone feature is a collection of pieces of masonry form old Broad street buildings.
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