Central · Founded 1263
Balliol College
One of the three oldest colleges, with an outsized political and intellectual reputation and a long roll of prime ministers and thinkers.
The college
A closer
look.
Central — Broad Street
Founded 1263. Founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol as an act of penance and endowed after his death by his widow Dervorguilla of Galloway, making it one of Oxford's oldest colleges.
Largely Victorian Gothic Revival after 19th-century rebuilding by Alfred Waterhouse and William Butterfield, though it retains a 15th-century library and medieval roots; the main range fronts Broad Street.
On the same walk
Closest to
this one.
On a visit
Don’t miss.
- 01Chapel
- 02Dining hall
- 03Front Quad
- 04Garden Quad
- 0515th-century library
- 06Gates linked to the Oxford Martyrs
Connected to
Notable
names.
- Adam Smith
- Prime Ministers H.H. Asquith, Harold Macmillan and Edward Heath
- Gerard Manley Hopkins
- Aldous Huxley
- Graham Greene
- Boris Johnson
Before you go
Visiting Balliol College
Open to Public (Ticketed). Published visitor access: Usually 10:00–17:00 or dusk, whichever is earlier. Admission: Adults £6; concessions and students £3; free for prospective applicants, Oxford University members and Oxford alumni. College events, services and exams can still close areas at short notice.
Opening hours, admission and access change often — check the official site before you travel.
- Founded
- 1263
- Area
- Central — Broad Street
- Type
- College
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