Merton College, Oxford (must see)

Merton College stands on Merton Street, close to the quieter south-eastern side of Oxford’s historic centre. It was founded in 1264 by Walter de Merton, who served as Lord Chancellor to Henry III and later to Edward I. Merton is often described as the first fully self-governing college in Oxford, and its statutes helped shape the model followed by later colleges.

The college offers a rich combination of architecture, enclosed courtyards, and scholarly history. Among its earliest buildings were the Hall and Chapel, both completed in 1297, though only the chapel survives today. Merton College Chapel is a fine example of Early English Gothic architecture, with an imposing scale unusual for a college chapel. The central highlight of the interior is the Great East Window, located at the far end of the choir. To find this feature, walk toward the high altar and look for the original 13th-century stained glass, which reveals an intricate wheel-like design and serves as a vibrant centrepiece of the sanctuary.

One of Merton’s most famous spaces is Mob Quad, built in stages between the late 13th and 14th centuries and often described as the oldest quadrangle in the university. To reach this highlight, walk through the passageway south of the chapel; once you find yourself in this small courtyard, look for the narrow medieval windows and irregular stone masonry that mark the very beginning of the college-quadrangle layout.

Around Mob Quad stands the Old Library, completed in the 1370s and regarded as one of the oldest continuously functioning libraries for university academics and students in Europe. Beneath the timbered ceilings of the library, the most notable details are the remnants of the medieval chained-book system. Once you find yourself inside the gallery, look for the iron rods and rings still attached to the wooden bookcases, which were once used to secure rare and valuable manuscripts from theft.

Merton’s history also reaches beyond academic life. After the dissolution of the monasteries, it acquired Saint Alban Hall from Littlemore Convent, though this remained a separate institution until 1881. During the English Civil War, the college served as a Royalist headquarters and hosted members of Charles I’s court, including Queen Henrietta Maria of France, who stayed in what is now called the Queen’s Room.

Over time, Merton expanded along Merton Street, incorporating the former parish church of Saint John and nearby houses into the Front Quad. Its alumni and academics include four Nobel laureates and writer J. R. R. Tolkien, who was Merton Professor of English Language and Literature from 1945 to 1959.