Radcliffe Square

Radcliffe Square. . , Radcliffe Square, the historic heart of Oxford University has been called the finest square in Europe (Pevsner). It was created by the university authorities in the 1730s by demolishing the medieval houses to make a 'university forum'. It is dominated by the central Radcliffe Camera (1737-48), Oxford's most magnificent classical building ('camera’ means 'room' in Italian). , On the far side is the University church of St Mary the Virgin, where academic meetings and ceremonies were held from c. 1200 onwards. On the right (west) side of the square is Brasenose College, built in 1509. To the north is the Bodleian Library quadrangle (1613-19), while the 18th century North Quad of All Souls College (founded in 1438) makes up the east side of the square. , John Radcliffe – doctor and benefactor , Radcliffe Square was conceived by the architect Nicholas Hawksmoor but only took shape after the death in 1714 of Dr John Radcliffe. , Radcliffe had studied at University College and became a doctor to the wealthy élite, including King William Ill, Queen Mary and Queen Anne. He donated £40,000 toward building a library in the middle of the proposed square and another £100 a year for buying books. , The Radcliffe Camera - a library in the round , Hawksmoor supplied designs for a circular, domed building but died before the purchase of the site was completed. The project was taken over by the Italian-trained James Gibbs, best known for St Martin-in-the-Fields church in London. The building was finished in 1748 and has functioned as a library ever since. , Known to Oxford students as the ‘Rad Cam', the building now contains two reading rooms, used primarily by undergraduates. , Beneath the lawn to the north is an underground book-store, built in1912, which connects the Camera via a subway to the Old Library. , A real Gothic college and a 'mock' one , Brasenose College, built mainly from 1509-18, takes its name from the brazen nose' bronze door knocker that once adorned its gates. Among its former students are the television presenter, Michael Palin, the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, and a highwayman, John Clavell! , Its Tudor-Gothic style echoed the architecture of All Souls College which was extended by Nicholas Hawksmoor in 1716-34 as a backdrop to the new square. Through the imposing iron gates you can see two fanciful Gothic towers. These serve no purpose but are testimony to Hawksmoor's genius for enlivening the urban landscape. You can also glimpse the college's sundial through the gates; this is reputed to have been designed by Sir Christopher Wren. , To the left of All Souls' iron gates, massive church-like windows are those of the Codrington Library, funded by the West Indies sugar planter and former Fellow, Christopher Codrington. , Sticks, Chalk and Cherries , Part of All Souls College was once a cherry orchard bought from the parish of St Mary the Virgin. , Once a year the congregation of St Mary's mark the boundaries of their parish by 'beating the bounds'. They draw with chalk on the boundary marks and hit them with sticks. After a hard morning's beating they are given cherry cake by All Souls in remembrance of the orchard. , ( photo captions ) , A portrait of Dr John Radcliffe (1652-1714). Looking up at the domed ceiling inside the Radliffe Camera, 1971. A model of Nicholas Hawksmoor's 1720s design for Radclife Camera, held at the Bodleian Library. An 18th century engraving showing the Radliffe Camera and Square. Books being loaded onto a horse and cart outside the Radliffe Camera, 1956.