Bodleian Library & Radcliffe Square
About
The heart of the university in one square: the Radcliffe Camera's round dome of 1749, the Old Bodleian's fifteenth-to-seventeenth-century quadrangle, and the University Church closing the south side. The square itself costs nothing and is the single best free sight in Oxford. To get inside, the Divinity School, the university's oldest teaching room with its fan-vaulted ceiling, is a short self-guided visit for a few pounds, and guided library tours from around £12.50 go deeper into the working library. The Radcliffe Camera is a working reading room, so its interior is only seen on selected tours. Tours sell out by midday in peak season; online tickets are released a month ahead, with same-day tickets from the Weston Library information desk on Broad Street.
Photos
Highlights
- ✓The Radcliffe Camera, Oxford's most photographed building
- ✓The Divinity School's fan-vaulted ceiling, a short self-guided visit
- ✓Guided tours into the working Bodleian Library
- ✓Free exhibitions and a cafe at the Weston Library across Broad Street
Tips
- →On summer weekends and in July and August, tour tickets often sell out by noon; book online up to a month ahead.
- →The Radcliffe Camera is a working reading room; you only get inside on selected tours, so do not queue at its door.
- →Come back after dark: the square is lit, quiet and free.
Best Season
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