Andrew Telfer · CC BY-SA 2.0 Why visit
Bodleian Library and Radcliffe Camera is worth allowing time for because it combines a structure whose engineering, design and relationship with its surroundings can be read on site. The site is more useful than a quick photograph: its surviving features give clear evidence of how the place developed and how people used it. Key things to concentrate on are key structural details, the building’s relationship with the surrounding streetscape or landscape and historic urban setting. Its position in or near Oxford also makes it a practical anchor for exploring the surrounding region without reducing the visit to a simple landmark stop.
What you will see
- key structural details.
- the building’s relationship with the surrounding streetscape or landscape.
- historic urban setting.
History
Oxford’s Bodleian Library grew from a university library refounded by Thomas Bodley in 1602. The Radcliffe Camera, designed by James Gibbs and completed in 1749, became one of the university’s defining buildings.
Photographs
Andrew Telfer · CC BY-SA 2.0 · full attribution on the image credits page.
Visitor tips
- 1
Allow enough time for the principal features rather than treating the stop only as a photograph.
- 2
Check the official visitor page shortly before travel for access, booking and any temporary restrictions.
About South East England
Royal, ecclesiastical, coastal and university destinations across Kent, Sussex, Berkshire and Oxfordshire.
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